Absolution
by supernaturalsam
Summary: Wesley is back with a new game to play. This is the sequel to The Spider and the Fly. UPDATED 10/18/13
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

Ella Jacobs was having a hard time controlling her nerves as she glanced around the small Italian restaurant. Every time the door opened, her head jerked up as she waited for her date to show up. And each time it wasn't him, she felt a pang of disappointment. A small part of her was afraid that he was going to stand her up and she would find herself back at the starting line.

Her best friend, Karen, had finally convinced her to set up an online dating profile about a month ago. At first, Ella had been very hesitant about it, afraid to put herself out there, especially since she tended to be a little guarded when it came to meeting new people. It wasn't as if she didn't like people—in fact, as she was growing up, she had always been a people person, immersing herself in the middle of any crowd. She'd been unafraid of putting herself out there and starting new relationships.

That changed almost a year ago when she'd been kidnapped, held, and tortured for two weeks. It had been a random kidnapping—she'd been walking towards her car after work when she was grabbed from behind and taken. For two weeks, she'd had to endure unimaginable pain and torment. Every time she'd closed her eyes, she thought it would be the last time. She'd never expected to wake up just to have to go through it all over again.

The only reason she'd made it out of there alive was from sheer luck. During one of her few conscious moments, a deliveryman had knocked on the door and she'd screamed before he could drive away. The police had shown up shortly after and her kidnapper killed himself before he could be arrested. It wasn't until a few days later when she'd woken up in the hospital that she'd found out he was a serial killer who had killed five other women.

For months following her abduction, she'd become a recluse, refusing to step foot out of her apartment unless it was absolutely necessary. She'd worked from home, freelancing as a graphic designer. Karen was her only friend, the only one who seemed to really understand her. All of her friends she'd made in college slowly eased out of her life, and it wasn't as if she could really blame them.

Who would want to be around someone who couldn't even step foot out of their own home?

Finally, it had become too much for Ella. As afraid as she was to face people again, she also knew she was only punishing herself for something she'd had no control over. By doing that, she was only allowing herself to continue being a victim. And she was tired—so damn tired—of being a victim.

Which was why she'd agreed to finally meet up with Ben, the man she'd been talking to online for a few weeks now. He'd given her space, never pressuring her into meeting him face-to-face until she was ready. Yesterday, she had finally gotten the courage and he'd agreed to meet her for dinner at Luigi's, a local Italian eatery. As she sat at the table, sipping her red wine, she began to question if this was a bad idea or not.

Especially since he was already fifteen minutes late.

_Maybe he wasn't that interested after all, _she thought glumly as she removed her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table. Reaching underneath the table, she grabbed her purse, no longer wanting to waste any more time sitting at the table like some desperate lovesick fool.

Just as she was standing up, the door to the restaurant opened and her heart fluttered in her chest as she saw the guy she'd been talking to. Ben looked just like his picture—tall with a lean, muscular build, and dark hair, his face covered in stubble that made him look that much sexier.

Ella watched as his eyes scanned the crowded restaurant, his blue eyes shining brightly when they landed on her. He held a single red rose in his hand and a smile graced his features as he maneuvered around the crowd, making his way over to her table. As he got closer, Ella noticed his teeth were perfectly straight and bright white.

"Sorry, I'm late," Ben said, handing her the rose. "Traffic was crazy out there—can you believe they're still doing road construction this time of night?"

"I heard that they do that to actually cut back with interference to traffic," Ella said shyly as she held the rose to her nose, inhaling the delicate scent. She cringed as soon as the words were out of her mouth, realizing that useless fact could make her come off as a dork.

Ben chuckled. "Someone should have given the crew the memo," he said before frowning as he finally seemed to notice she was clutching her purse in her other hand. "Were you about to leave?"

Ella felt her face grow warm as she glanced away, embarrassed. "I thought you had stood me up."

"I would never dream of doing that, Ella. I've been looking forward to meeting you in person for quite some time." Ben quickly moved behind her and pulled out her chair, pushing it in as soon as she sat down.

"Now I feel like a complete idiot."

"You shouldn't. I would have probably done the same thing if the roles were reversed."

"Probably?"

Ben smiled sheepishly. "Okay—I absolutely would have done the same thing. And probably within five minutes of you being late."

Ella nodded as a smile tugged at her lips. "Good to know."

* * *

Dinner with Ben was amazing. Time had no meaning as they sat and talked about everything they could possibly think of, which was surprising since they had been talking for weeks—every day for hours at a time. Ella wasn't even sure what else they could think of, but conversation with Ben was surprisingly easy. When she finally glanced down at her watch, she was surprised to see that three hours had passed.

"Wow, I can't believe it's so late," Ella remarked.

"Are you ready to go home?" Ben asked.

"No." Ella didn't even have to think about her answer for very long. She felt something with Ben that she hadn't felt in years. In fact, she felt so comfortable with him that she could almost forget that she was damaged, that she wasn't perfect.

Then again, Ben had no idea about her past. Or if he did, he didn't dare acknowledge it. That made Ella feel wonderful, considering everywhere she ventured out to, people still stared at her. Even after a year since the kidnapping and attempted murder, she couldn't escape the looks of pity and whispers.

Honestly, she didn't think she would ever escape it. She was considered a big deal—the one that got away. But Ben made her feel like a new person, which was something she hadn't realized she craved.

"Good," Ben said with an amused smile. "Maybe we should get out of here before the staff kicks us out."

"Good idea." Draining the rest of her wine, Ella got up from the table, stumbling slightly as she took a step forward.

Ben frowned as he gently gripped her elbow to steady her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ella replied with a chuckle, waiting for the dizziness to pass. "I guess I had a little more wine that I thought. I'll be okay."

Ben seemed unsure, but didn't say anything else as they walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand. Ella hoped the fresh, cold air would help clear her head, but it only seemed to make things worse. She'd never been drunk before, so she had no idea if she was experiencing her first buzz. She stumbled again as her vision began to blur.

"I think maybe I should head home," Ella said, her words slurring slightly. "I'm not feeling so well."

"Did you drive your car here?" Ben asked, putting a steadying arm around her waist.

Ella nodded.

"I think you should just leave your car here for the night. Let me drive you home."

At first, Ella wanted to argue with Ben. She could just as easily take a cab home, especially since she still didn't know him that well. She was nervous about letting him know where she lived—it wasn't that he gave off a creepy vibe; she just didn't trust anyone. But she also didn't want to spend the money on cab fare, and since he was offering…

"Okay," she agreed softly, groaning as another fit of dizziness hit her.

Ben said nothing as he led her to her car, helping her into the front seat. He buckled her in before shutting her door and jogging around the other side of the car, sliding into his seat. "Where do you live?"

"1185 Sycamore Lane." Ella felt her eyes getting heavier as Ben pulled out of the parking lot. "Do you know where it is?"

"I do."

Letting out a soft sigh, Ella rested her head against the window, finally succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Former Special Agent Wesley Levine let out a frustrated sigh as the young woman sitting in the passenger seat finally gave in to the sedative running through her veins. He thought she would never fall asleep, entertaining the idea of doing something a little more drastic to knock her out. It had been way too simple to slip the drug into her wine when she got up to use the restroom since the restaurant was practically empty by that time.

Ella Jacobs never knew what hit her.

She was a beautiful girl—there was no doubt about that. With eyes as green as emeralds and bright, luminous red hair that flowed past her shoulders, Ella was a knockout. It didn't surprise Wesley that she had been taken by the Two Week Killer.

Driving down the highway for about ten minutes, Wesley pulled behind an abandoned storefront where there were no streetlights. It wouldn't do him any good to have someone see him as he got Ella prepared for the rest of her trip.

Stepping out of the car, he reached into the backseat and pulled out a backpack that he'd supplied with all of the essentials he would need. Then, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, the seatbelt the only thing keeping Ella in the car. Removing the seat belt, he pushed her up so he could get her hands behind her back. Then, unzipping the backpack, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them on her wrists, the clicking of the cuffs sounding like music to his ears.

Taking a roll of duct tape from the back, he pulled the end loose and wrapped it around her ankles several times, not leaving any slack. He couldn't afford for her to get loose before he got her settled permanently.

Reaching into the car to pick her up, he stiffened when she let out a soft moan. He waited with bated breath to see if she would come out of her unconscious state, but she remained blissfully unaware as the drug continued to work its magic. Lifting her out of the car, he pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the trunk before carefully setting her inside.

Grabbing his backpack, he pulled the roll of tape out once more and tore off another strip. Leaning down into the truck, he smoothed it over her mouth, letting his fingers linger as he stared down at her sleeping form.

_Snap out of it, Wesley. She's not the one you really want._

Shaking his head, Wesley slammed the lid of the trunk down, tossing the bag into the backseat. Sliding into his seat, he put the key back into the ignition and pulled back out onto the highway.

Now, it would only be a matter of time before he had the true object of his lust and affections. The pieces of the game were slowly coming together, aligning themselves perfectly. It wouldn't be long until he had the final piece. Until he was once again reunited with _her._

Then the game could truly begin.

* * *

**And he's back!**

**Today is my birthday and I couldn't think of a better present than sharing the first chapter of the sequel to **_**The Spider and the Fly**_**. **

**This story takes place three months later. This chapter is pretty tame compared to what I have in store for the rest of the story. Keep in mind, this story will get darker and scarier than **_**Spider**_** (at least, that is my aim with this one). There will be language, graphic violence, and all around creepiness so you have been warned. I will make it a point to warn you before each chapter if it's a bad one. **

**I hope you enjoy this and remember that I also have a blog! So, if you want to know what I picture Wesley to look like, go to my bio page and click on the link for my Tumblr.**

**I apologize for any mistakes and I own nothing except for the twisted little people I come up with.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. One

**One**

* * *

_The darkness felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders, encroaching upon her from all directions. She wasn't even sure if any amount of light would be able to slice through the thickness, it was so heavy and suffocating. Any same person would have just given up at the hopelessness of the situation._

_Any for one terrifying moment, Nancy Drew was tempted to do just that._

_Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her frazzled nerves, but it did very little to alleviate her fear. She'd never felt fear this potent and mind-numbing, wrapping around her body like a boa constrictor, slowly squeezing the life out of her._

"_Frank," she whispered. "I have to find Frank…"_

_Taking a cautious step forward, she reached out blindly, desperate to find something solid to grip onto. Her footsteps echoed all around her as she slowly made her way towards what she figured was the way out. _

"_Come to me, Nancy," a male voice beckoned softly._

_Nancy stopped in her tracks, struggling to figure out where—and who—the voice was coming from._

"_You're almost there, Nancy."_

_Nancy's heart skipped a beat as she recognized Frank's voice. It had an instant calming effect on her and she found her feet moving on its own volition. She still wasn't sure where she was headed, but it had to be the right direction if Frank was calling for her. _

"_Come to me."_

"_I'm coming!" Nancy called. "Where are you, Frank?"_

"_Just a little bit further, Nan."_

_Her feet began moving a little faster until she was jogging. She still couldn't see a thing, but that didn't seem to matter. She was almost to Frank—she could feel it._

_Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders, stopping her progress. Nancy nearly collapsed in relief, falling into the arms as they wrapped around her slender body. She was home in these arms. She was safe._

"_Frank…"_

"_Sorry to disappoint, Nancy, but Frank isn't available at the moment," Wesley's chilling voice whispered into her ear._

_A scream lodged in Nancy's throat as she jerked away from the killer, pushing away and running as the sound of his laughter echoed around the cavernous room. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks as a sliver of light caught her attention, indicating a door not twenty feet away._

_She crashed into it without hesitation, twisting the knob and throwing it open._

_Nancy was finally able to free the scream from her throat as hundreds of spiders poured out of the room, covering her body._

Nancy awoke with a start, gasping for air as she sat up in bed. Her body was drenched in a cold sweat, her pajamas sticking to her. Shivers wracked her body and no matter how much she tried to rub her arms to gain some warmth, it didn't work. Glancing beside her, she saw that Frank was still sleeping soundly.

Pushing the comforter aside, she stepped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She waited until she closed the door before she turned the light on, not wanting to wake Frank. As much as she was having a hard time sleeping since her ordeal with Wesley three months ago, she knew Frank was suffering just as much, considering he had maintained a steady vigil over her, waiting for the chance to comfort her when the next nightmare came.

Bracing herself against the sink, Nancy peered at her reflection, hating the woman she was seeing staring back at her. Dark circles had taken up a permanent residence under her eyes. She'd lost weight, her appetite not being anywhere near what it used to be. She'd pretty much become a hermit, refusing to leave the apartment unless Frank or Joe forced her to. She hadn't even taken on any new cases, even the simplest of them—it was the longest she had ever gone without a mystery to solve.

And it wasn't as if she didn't want to work and go on with her life. She wanted that more than anything because she knew that everyone was worried about her. Hell, she was worried about herself. She'd never shied away from anything in her life, but now, even her own shadow scared the crap out of her.

And it was all because of Wesley Levine.

Even after three months, he was still terrorizing her every moment.

When Frank and Joe had rescued her from his basement, Nancy had been on the brink of death from all of the spider venom running through her system. As soon as they'd loaded her up into the ambulance, she had fallen into a coma, only to wake up five days later in the ICU. Those five days turned out to be the most sleep she would get in the coming months.

The doctors couldn't believe that she had survived the spider venom, saying the amount in her body would have easily killed ten men. They truly believed she was a walking miracle, saying she definitely had someone upstairs looking out for her. Nancy wasn't sure if she believed them or not, especially with the way she was unable to function like her normal self. God, what she wouldn't give to be normal.

She had to sleep with a nightlight for crying out loud.

An actual nightlight like she was a sniveling scared little five year old, because after twenty-four years, Nancy was finally scared of the dark.

Letting out a weary sigh, Nancy turned the tap and splashed cold water on her face, knowing there was no way she was going back to sleep now. She would now fall into her familiar routine of waking up, making a pot of coffee, and cleaning the apartment, even though it wasn't dirty. In fact, Nancy was pretty sure surgery could be performed in the middle of the living room, it was that spotless.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Nancy padded towards the kitchen and turned the coffeepot on. Soon, the kitchen was enveloped in the aromatic brew as it slowly dripped down into the glass carafe. Opening up the cabinet, Nancy pulled out her favorite mug and poured herself a cup, adding milk and three sugars.

Taking her coffee, Nancy grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and walked out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her. Setting the mug on the small table they had out there, Nancy slipped her jacket on and took a seat.

Even though it was the middle of January, Nancy barely felt the cold as it seeped deep into her bones. She blamed that on the fact that she felt numb to everything. She couldn't even remember the last time she had truly smiled and meant it. A real, genuine smile, and not the fake ones she had been throwing out left and right.

She'd become an expert at the art of the fake smile.

Clasping her mug between her hands, Nancy took a slow sip as she sat in the silence of the morning, waiting for the city below her to wake from its slumber.

* * *

Frank Hardy knew the instant Nancy was woken up from the latest nightmare plaguing her sleep. It had been extremely hard for him to lay still and pretend that he was still asleep. But he knew Nancy would only blame herself for interfering with his sleep.

He'd told her countless times, ever since she had come home from the hospital that he didn't mind waking up in order to comfort her. That was what he wanted. He wanted to be able to take care of her, especially since she wasn't doing such a wonderful job of it herself. It was as if he was watching a shell walk around the apartment they shared, going through the motions of daily living.

But Nancy Drew was far from living.

She wasn't the vibrant girl anymore that he had met all those years ago. There were times when he swore there was no life left in her eyes, but then she would blink and it would be gone. The demons that she was battling were eating him up alive—he'd never seen her so…_defeated._

What hurt Frank the most was that she refused to talk about anything that had happened to her. The only time she had said a word about Wesley Levine was when she was giving her statement to the police. Frank had tried to get her to open up, but she wouldn't do it, telling him that she wasn't ready. The last thing he wanted to do was push her, but he was so afraid of what keeping it inside her would do to her.

Hell, it was already doing a number on her. She'd been so withdrawn, even refusing to visit her father or friends. She refused to leave the apartment unless he and Joe dragged her out, and that was only to get something to eat. Nancy even refused to take on any cases—not even willing to be a sounding board for when he and Joe were stumped.

Frank just wanted Nancy—_his Nancy_—back.

He thought he'd had the solution to their problem when he told Nancy that Wesley had been apprehended and was currently awaiting a hearing in front of the judge. There was no way in hell he could tell her that he had escaped—he was terrified what it would do to her. Was lying to her the best thing to do?

No—it was the last thing Frank wanted to do.

But would he do it again in order to give Nancy even a sliver of hope of returning back to her normal self?

In a heartbeat.

That was what love did to a person. It made them do things that they normally wouldn't do, that went against their character. It was always an emotion that Frank never entirely understood until he found Nancy. Sure, he had loved Callie Shaw when he was a teenager, but that was nothing compared to what he felt for Nancy. There was nothing in this world that he wouldn't give her—even lie to her to give her peace of mind.

Of course, during this time, he and Joe had secretly been trying to track Wesley down. They had followed countless leads, pushing aside other cases to try to locate the killer. The best thing Frank knew he could do for Nancy was to make sure that Wesley was caught and would never be able to terrorize another human being.

Unfortunately, all of those leads had led to nothing.

But Frank was determined. He was going to find Wesley at all costs.

The smell of coffee percolating through the small apartment had Frank tossing the blanket aside and getting out of bed. Grabbing a tee shirt from his dresser, he slipped it on before finding his jacket and putting it on. He knew exactly where he would find Nancy. The same place he always found her.

Sliding the glass door open, he stepped out onto the balcony. Nancy didn't even look up as he took the seat across from her.

"Another nightmare?" Frank asked softly, already knowing the answer. But he always felt it was better that Nancy acknowledged the horrible dreams.

"Yeah," Nancy's voice was just as soft, barely audible over the wind that swept through the city. "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Frank let out a weary sigh as he glanced at the sun slowly rising on the horizon, casting the buildings in it rich orange and yellow hues. "I told you not to apologize, Nan. I would rather you woke me up."

"You need your sleep."

"You need to sleep just as much as I do. Even more so."

Nancy shook her head. "I'm not the one who has to go to work. I'm fine, Frank."

_You're not fine. Far from it_, Frank thought, keeping it to himself. It was too early to get into another argument with Nancy. "What time is your appointment with Doctor Janus?"

"Ten."

After weeks of begging and prodding, Frank had finally convinced Nancy to sit down with a psychologist. He preferred that she speak with a psychiatrist, but Nancy had been adamant about using a psychologist, refusing to be put on any medication that a psychiatrist may prescribe. Frank didn't argue about it too hard, considering it was a step forward in the right direction.

At least, he truly hoped so.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Frank asked after a few moments of silence as Nancy sipped her coffee.

"You have to go to work."

"I can always skip a day, Nan. I'm sure Joe would understand." He flashed her a small smile. "Besides, what's the point of owning your own business if you can't skip a day every once and a while."

"I don't want you to go with me, Frank."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not ready to let you in, Frank," Nancy said softly, her eyes finally meeting his steady gaze. "I'm not ready for you to get stuck in my nightmare. I love you too much to do that."

Frank leaned forward and grasped one of her hands in his. "Don't you understand, Nancy? I want to help you. It's killing me that I'm not able to help you."

"You are helping me, Frank." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You're helping me by being here with me. If I didn't have you with me, I don't know what I would be doing. Probably staring blankly at a padded wall, dressed in a straightjacket."

"Don't say that."

"It's true."

Frank closed his eyes as he leaned his head against Nancy's hand. He didn't like to hear her speak that way, but at the same time, he knew it was a real possibility. Any other person who had survived what she did would be locked up in a mental hospital. It was only because of Nancy's experience with detective work that helped her cope a little better.

"I just want you to trust me, Nan."

"I do trust you, Frank. More than anyone else in this world." She put down her coffee and ran her other hand through his hair.

"Then why won't you let me in?" Frank didn't bother to mask the desperation in his tone. _If only she knew I was lying to her about Wesley. She'll never trust me again…_

Nancy let out an exasperated sigh as she pulled her hand away from Frank and stood up. Grabbing her coffee mug, she frowned at him. "You already know my reasons. I'm not having this argument with you again, Frank."

Frank said nothing as he watched her retreat back into the apartment, shutting the door behind her.

"Way to go, Hardy."

* * *

**Since I am going out of town this weekend, I decided to post another chapter for you guys this week instead of making you wait until next week.**

**I am so overwhelmed with the response to the first chapter! I knew all of you secretly loved Wesley…**

**And with that, I would love the thank the following people for their amazing reviews: Michelle Gallichio, misslady92, SC15, Mrs. Frank Hardy, Valaina Wynn, Guest, max2013, Caranath, Xdaisy chainX, Cupcake, hlahabibty, Jabba1, and SarahE7191. You guys rock!**

**I would also love to thank everyone who has read and added me to their alerts!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	3. Two

**Two**

* * *

When Ella opened her eyes, the first thing she became aware of was the throbbing in her head. The next thing she became aware of was that she was lying on something hard and cold. Using her hands, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and took in her surroundings.

She found that she was lying on a concrete floor and everywhere she looked, she was surrounding by metal bars—to the sides and above her. It didn't take long for her mind to process that she was locked in a six by six foot cage. Panic blossomed in her chest as she shot to her feet, shaking the door, desperate to find a way out.

"Is anybody there?" Ella shouted, pulling with all her strength against the door. "Let me out of here!" She sank to her knees as silence greeted her. "Please…"

Letting out a soft sob, Ella tried to recall the events of the previous night. The last thing she remembered was feeling sick as she left the restaurant with Brad. She'd let him lead her to his car and then there was nothing but darkness.

"Please tell me Brad isn't responsible for this…" she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat down.

Last night had been just about perfect. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease and admired by a man. Brad was everything you could possibly want in a partner—a good listener, great looking, and charming. There was no way he could be responsible for locking her in a cage.

He just couldn't.

But if he wasn't, then where the hell was he? Had he been taken as well? Ella glanced around the dimly lit large room, seeing that there were five other identical cages to hers, but they were empty. Brad was nowhere to be found.

"Brad?" Ella called, just in case he was in another part of the room.

A door above her opened and soon, heavy footsteps pounding against the wooden staircase. Ella crawled backwards to the opposite end of the cage, watching with wide eyes as the booted feet stepped off the last step. It wasn't until he turned the lights on that she recognized who it was, causing her heart to nearly leap out of her chest.

"No…" There was no way Brad was standing on the other side of the cage, smiling at her. She had to be dreaming—she just had to be.

"I heard you were calling for me." He flashed a chilling smile at her. "Maybe now is a good time to properly introduce myself."

"What do you mean? You said your name was Brad."

"I lied." The chilling smile stayed etched onto his face. "My name is Wesley."

"Why would you lie about that?"

"Because I needed to get you to trust me," Wesley said as he grabbed a chair and pulled it in front of her cage before he sat down. "You never would have trusted me if you knew who I really was."

"Then who are you?"

Wesley ignored her. "So, I hear you have history with a well-known serial killer. Does the name Jason Miller ring a bell?"

Ella swallowed hard, a chill going down her spine at the mention of his name. "How do you know about that?"

Wesley barked out a laugh. "Oh, come on, Ella. Everyone knows about your story. Perhaps I know it a little better than most everyone else."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was the agent assigned to the case."

"Agent?" Ella frowned as her brain tried to process what he was saying. "Wait, are you saying that you're a cop?"

"No, I used to be an agent for the FBI."

"Used to be?"

"I was sort of forced into early retirement."

Ella stood up and rushed to the front of the cage, rattling the door once more in desperation. "Then why are you just sitting there? Let me out of here!"

Wesley ignored her once again as he stood up and walked to a table, picking up a tray containing bread and fruit, along with a bottle of water. "Aren't you the least bit curious about why I was forced into retirement?"

"Is it going to get me out of this cage?"

"No."

"Then I don't care."

"You really should begin to care, Ella." Wesley's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "You should care a lot."

"And why is that?"

"Because Jason Miller isn't the only serial killer out there."

Ella stared at him in confusion, unsure of what he was trying to say to her. Why would he keep bringing up Jason, the bastard who had held her and tortured her for two weeks? Why were they even having a conversation about serial killers? Ella glanced around her surroundings, realization slowly sinking in as she took in the remaining empty cages.

They were having this conversation because she was once again faced with her worst nightmare. Wesley was a killer, and if the room she was trapped in was any indication, she was going to be here for a while. Not only her—but five other innocent people as well.

"Is it finally sinking in?" Wesley asked with a smirk.

Ella slowly backed away from the door, unable to stop her body from shaking in fear. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I enjoy playing games."

"What kind of games?"

"I am so happy you asked." Reaching into his pocket, Wesley pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Setting the tray on the ground, he closed the door and locked it. "As you can see from your surroundings, we still need some players which I will be procuring for us as the week progresses. Once I have the final game piece, the fun begins."

Ella opened her mouth, but fear prevented her from making a sound.

"You'll have to forgive me for not disclosing all of the details with you." Wesley smiled as he walked over to a shelf filled with glass cases. Ella tried to make out what was in them, but there was barely any light to see. "Why don't you think of your time here as a vacation, my sweet Ella?"

_More like a vacation from hell._

Wesley pulled one of the glass boxes from the shelf and returned to the cage. "What? Nothing to say? You were full of questions earlier." He smiled when he noticed her glance nervously at the box he held in his hands. "Would you like to meet my little friend?"

Ella took another step back, putting as much distance as she could between her and Wesley, not to mention the creature he held in his hands. It was a large, hairy brown spider but it didn't seem to be moving, as if it was frozen in time.

"Don't worry, Ella. Even if this guy was alive, it still wouldn't hurt you. They're scary looking more than anything else, even though they can deliver a painful bite." Wesley held the case up and stared lovingly at the arachnid. "This is the Texas Brown Tarantula."

"Why do you have a spider?"

Wesley smiled. "Because I love them. I understand them."

"Why would anyone love a spider?" Ella asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Why would anyone love any living creature?"

Ella didn't have an answer for that. What was she supposed to say when he actually had a valid point? "What are you going to do with the spider."

"I'm sending it to a friend of mine."

"Does he like them as much as you do?"

Wesley chuckled. "My friend is a she. And no…she's terrified of them."

"Then, why would you send it to her?"

"To remind her that I'm still around," Wesley answered. "To make sure she never forgets about me." Turning around, Wesley began making his way back to the stairs. "You really should try to eat something, Ella. It's best to keep up your strength while you're in here."

Panic flared through her chest as she slammed herself against the door of the cage. He couldn't keep her imprisoned like this. "Please, don't leave me in here!"

Wesley ignored her as the continued to make his way up the staircase, whistling a jolly tune. It wasn't long after that she heard the door close, followed by the click of a lock.

Ella slowly sank down to the ground, sobbing softly as silence enveloped her.

* * *

Joe Hardy glanced up from his computer as the door to Hardrew Investigations opened and his brother, Frank, walked in. To say that his sibling looked exhausted would be to say that an orange is orange.

It was that obvious.

Joe knew that it couldn't be easy for Frank, considering he was pulling double duty. Not only was he at the office all day, but after a long day at work, he was going home to take care of Nancy. And when he wasn't doing either of those things, he was obsessively looking into Wesley's disappearance. There wasn't a day that had gone by since Nancy's rescue that he and Frank had stopped looking for the deranged killer. In fact, they had pretty much put their caseload on the backburner until they could find Wesley.

It was frustrating that they couldn't find a single viable lead. It was as if Wesley had vanished into thin air. Here one day, and gone the next. Lying to Nancy about Wesley had been the last thing Joe wanted to do, but he understood Frank's reasoning for doing it. He truly thought it would bring Nancy some sense of closure.

Unfortunately, that hadn't turned out to be the case.

It pained Joe to see Nancy so fragile and broken. It was as if he was looking at a completely different person every time he looked at her. It had even gotten to the point where he wasn't even able to be around her for long periods of time. And that was hard for him, considering he had always looked to Nancy as the sister he never had.

"How's she doing this morning?"

Frank let out a tired sigh as he plopped down in his desk chair. "About the same as yesterday."

Joe shook his head as he deleted a junk mail from his inbox. "That sucks, man."

"Tell me about it. I tried to get her to talk to me, but she just keeps shutting me down."

"It's like I keep tell you—you can't push her. She's trying to deal with what happened to her in her own way."

Frank ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Her way is doing nothing for her, except driving her further away from me. I'm tired of waiting. I want her to go back to the way she was."

"She may never go back to the way she was, Frank," Joe said quietly, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. But he knew it was the truth. While Nancy was stronger, both physically and mentally, than almost anyone he knew, she was also human.

That was something they both tended to forget, considering everything she had gone through before. But even Nancy had a breaking point. It should have been more surprising that she hadn't reached it before now.

"That's what scares me the most, Joe," Frank said just as softly. "But I know, no matter what happens, I'm still going to be there for her."

"That's the best way you can help her, Frank."

"The same goes for you," Frank said, shooting him a pointed look.

Joe visibly cringed. "I know. I've been a horrible person lately. It's just that—"

"It's hard to be around her right now," Frank finished for him.

Joe nodded.

Letting out another sigh, Frank pushed up from his chair and walked over to Joe's desk. "Have you come up with any more leads about Wesley?"

"Nothing. It's like every trail has gone cold," Joe answered, glad to be focusing on something other than Nancy. "I've been in touch with all of our contacts, but they're having the same amount of luck. It's like the bastard just dropped off the face of the earth."

"No one can hide that well."

"Apparently being an ex-government agent teaches you how to do just that."

Frank scratched the back of his head as he picked up a file from Joe's desk and thumbed through it. "What about anything else going on that might be suspicious?"

Joe tapped a few keys on the keyboard, pulling up another screen before turning the monitor to face Frank. "I've been keeping an eye out for any abduction that may fit with Wesley's pattern—namely young, pretty women."

"Did you find anything?"

"Two days ago, a young woman named Ella Jacobs was reported missing in Madison, Wisconsin. Her friend says she was going out on her first date with a man she had met online."

Frank snorted. "Well, there's your answer right there. She met some lunatic online and she's most likely dead."

"Is that really necessary?" Joe asked, unable to hide his annoyance at Frank's blasé attitude. Usually, his brother was rational, taking in all the facts before he reached a conclusion.

"Sorry," Frank muttered, looking slightly abashed.

"Anyway, the staff at the restaurant says Ella did in fact meet a man there and when they left together, they both seemed happy with each other."

Frank shrugged. "So maybe she ran off with the guy and they eloped."

"Possible," Joe agreed. "I did a little digging into the victim's past and found out something pretty interesting about her."

"Interesting how?"

"About a year ago, Ella was kidnapped and tortured for two weeks by a man named Jason Miller. Of course, the cops had a different name for him. The Two Week Killer."

Realization dawned in Frank's eyes as he glanced sharply at Joe. "I remember that case. It was all over the television for weeks, especially when the media got word of a survivor."

"And Ella Jacobs was that survivor."

"Do you think that has something to do with her disappearance?"

"I think anything is possible at this point." Joe let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. "It may or may not have something to do with Wesley, but I think it's worth checking out, just the same."

Frank hesitated. "I hate to go out of town right now. What if Nancy needs me?"

"It's a two and a half hour drive, Frank. We can be back by tonight."

"I don't know…"

"Think about it, Frank. What if this leads us to Wesley?" He fixed Frank with a steady look. "Don't you want to stop lying to Nancy?"

"Of course, I do."

Joe stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Good. Now, let's hit the road."

* * *

It surprised Wesley with how easy it had been to get inside Nancy and Frank's apartment. They really should sue the hell out of the complex they called home, considering how it bragged about having the best security than any other complex in the city.

All he had to do was wait for someone to buzz him in, sneak up on the maintenance man and knock him out, then swipe his keys. After that, it was a matter of slipping into the uniform and taking the stairs up to the second floor apartment Nancy and Frank shared. He'd been careful about avoiding the cameras set up around the perimeter, but even if they catch a glimpse of him, he was wearing a disguise.

Wesley knew no one was home, considering he'd seen both Nancy and Frank walk out separately, heading in opposite directions. He wasn't sure how much time he would have, so he needed to be quick.

Opening the door to their apartment with the master key, he let himself him and closed the door softly behind him. Reaching into the small duffel he was carrying, he took out the gift-wrapped box and headed for their bedroom.

He didn't have the turn on the light since the sun shone brightly through the white gauzy curtains hanging over the large picture window. He really wished he could spend some time in here, taking in everything that defined Nancy. He wanted to get to know her on a much more intimate level, but there would be time for that later.

Walking over to their bed, he placed the box on the middle of the mattress. Stepping back, he smiled, just imagining the look on her face when she saw the gift he had left her. He could almost taste her fear, it was that potent.

But that fear would be nothing compared to what he planned for later. This was merely the appetizer.

Turning back towards the door, he stopped when he spotted the dresser. He supposed it wouldn't hurt if he took a little trinket with him. It wasn't as if she would miss something as innocent as a pair of panties.

Opening the top drawer, he shuffled through it until he found a pair that appealed to him the most. It was a pastel pink lacy number that sent shivers through his body as he imagined her in them. Bringing it up to his face, he inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes in ecstasy.

Stuffing the undergarment into his pocket, he made a quick retreat out of the apartment and back to his car.

"Can you feel me, my love? Only a little longer until we're reunited," Wesley said softly as he pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

**So, is he creepy enough for you? You know I am capable of making Wesley so much worse—and odds are pretty good that I will. By the way, I **_**hate **_**researching spiders…**

**And how do you like the name of their detective agency? Pretty awesome, right?**

**Thank you again for all of your continued support—and we haven't even gotten to the fun part yet! I would love to thank everyone who has added me to their alert lists and favorites lists and especially the following people for their amazing reviews: Michelle Gallichio, Xdaisy chainX, Caranath, max2013, Mrs. Frank Hardy, Valaina Wynn, Cupcake, Jabba1, SarahE7191, and SC15. **

**I love you guys!**

**I apologize for any and all mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	4. Three

**Three**

* * *

Nancy still couldn't figure out how she had let Frank talk her into seeing a psychologist. The last thing she wanted to do was to sit in an oversized chair, telling some stranger about her deepest fears and how she was unable to move on. She didn't want to relive the horror of her time with Wesley, especially when she had worked so hard to put it in the back of her mind, locked safely away in a reinforced steel box.

To dare open it would be equivalent to opening Pandora's Box.

Nancy wasn't sure if she would be able to survive it again.

Maybe that was why she'd refused to get out of her car, even though her appointment was only ten minutes away. She knew as soon as she stepped out of her car and into the doctor's office, there would be no turning back. She would have to face the demons that haunted her head on.

And while there was a big part of her that knew she needed to reclaim her life and move on, there was still that small part of her that was afraid. What if she managed to finally take a step forward, only to have something else happen? What would she do then?

Would she even be able to survive mentally?

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Nancy released a long winded breath. She needed to get a grip and start taking control. She needed to take the first step and she wasn't going to do that by sitting in the relative safety of her car.

Reaching for the handle, Nancy opened the door and got out of the car, shivering slightly as a strong breeze rustled through the parking lot. Pulling her jacket tighter around her body, she locked her car and walked through the entrance, relishing the heat from the heater blasting through the waiting room.

The receptionist smiled as Nancy made her way to the check-in desk. "Hi. Can I help you?"

Nancy smiled timidly as she tucked her hair behind her left ear. "I have an eleven o'clock appointment with Doctor McHan."

Typing in a few keys, the receptionist nodded. "You're Nancy Drew?"

Nancy nodded.

"I just need you to fill out some paperwork and then the doctor will see you." Picking up a clipboard with a couple of sheets of paper on it, she handed it to Nancy. "Just bring this back to me when you finish, okay?"

"Sure." Taking the clipboard, Nancy found a seat in the corner of the room away from the other people in the waiting room. Ever since her time with Wesley, she hadn't felt comfortable around people.

Yet another issue she was sure would be addressed by the psychologist.

Nancy finished the paperwork in about five minutes and brought it back to the receptionist before taking her seat once more. As she waited for the doctor, she took her cell phone out of her purse and saw that she had a missed call and voicemail.

Frank.

A twinge of guilt ran through her as she remembered her refusal to let him come to the appointment with her. It was obvious that all he wanted was to help her, but she kept pushing him away. It hurt her to do so because she loved him with all her heart. But Frank still represented what her life was like before Wesley. And she refused to do anything to tarnish that.

Bringing up the voicemail, Nancy brought the phone up to her ear to listen to his message. _"Hey, Nan. I know you're probably heading into your appointment. I wanted to let you know that Joe and I are headed to Madison, Wisconsin to follow up a lead on one of our cases. We think we should be home sometime tonight. I'll let you know, either way."_ Frank took a deep breath before he spoke again. _"I just want you to know that I'm proud of you, Nan. I love you."_

Nancy smiled softly, blinking back tears as she hung up her phone and slid it back into her purse. As angry as she was at Frank for pushing her to see a psychologist, it was done out of his love for her. She really was lucky to have someone who cared so deeply for her.

"Nancy Drew?"

Jerking her head up, Nancy saw a petite woman with shoulder length blonde was smiling warmly at her. She was dressed professionally in a gray pencil skirt with a silk baby blue blouse that brought out the blue in her eyes. She was holding a file folder in her hands.

_My file_, Nancy thought as she stood up and approached the other woman.

"I'm Doctor Anna McHan," she said holding out a hand for Nancy to shake.

"Hi," Nancy said, shaking her hand, feeling comforted by the warm, friendly grip.

"Why don't we head to my office and we'll get started?" She stepped back and let Nancy walk in front of her, closing the door behind them. "Would you rather have a seat on the sofa or the chair?"

"Chair," Nancy answered as her eyes slowly took in Anna's office. The room was full of warm, vibrant colors lending a comforting environment to the patients who walked in. The walls were painted a neutral beige while the furniture was black. The pops of color came from the accents—pillows, throw rugs, and paintings that hung on the wall. There were a few vases of flowers around the office containing daisies, calla lilies, and tulips.

Already, Nancy was starting to feel a little more at ease and she hadn't even begun talking to the doctor yet.

Anna went around to her desk and took a seat before opening Nancy's file. "I know this is probably scary for you, Nancy, but I want you to feel comfortable with me. I want you to be able to feel as if you can speak freely to me about anything. I'm not here to judge you or try to tell you how to live your life. Also, keep in mind that anything you say to me is kept strictly confidential."

Nancy nodded, licking her lips nervously.

Slipping on a pair of black rimmed glasses, Anna picked up a pen. "Now, let's start with why you're here to see me today."

"My fiancé wouldn't stop begging me to until I finally agreed."

"Why would he do that?"

"He's worried about me."

"Does he have a valid reason for worrying about you?"

Nancy shrugged. "Probably."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Anna asked, her gaze locking onto Nancy's. She actually looked as if she genuinely cared about Nancy.

"Do you remember the serial murders that happened around Halloween of last year?"

"Of course. It was all over the news."

"I was one of his victims, but I somehow managed to survive," Nancy said softly, wringing her hands together in her lap.

Recognition dawned in Anna's eyes as she slowly removed her glasses. "You were rescued by your partners."

Nancy nodded.

"From what I gathered from the press, it was a miracle you even pulled through after what he did to you."

Nancy closed her eyes, swallowing hard as she remembered the spider that Wesley had made bite her over and over again.

Anna frowned as she took in Nancy's expression. "Have you talked to anyone about what happened to you, Nancy?"

"Just the police when I gave them my statement."

"You've spoken to no one else in the three months since Agent Levine tried to kill you?"

"No."

"May I ask why not?"

"Because I was sure if I just somehow managed to push it away from my thoughts, I could get past it."

"And have you?"

"No."

Putting her glasses back on, Anna sat back in her chair. "Let's start at the beginning, Nancy. Tell me what happened the night you were taken."

Nancy lifted her eyes to meet Anna's, a shiver racing down her spine. She didn't know if she could do this, feeling the beginning of a panic attack forming in her chest. It was starting to become hard to even take a breath as she thought about reliving what she had gone through all those months ago.

"It's okay, Nancy," Anna said, coming around her desk to kneel in front of Nancy. She took Nancy's hands in hers, squeezing gently. "Nothing can hurt you in here. I know you're afraid, but the only way you can move on is if you start to let go. You don't have to face this alone anymore, Nancy."

"I—I—" Nancy was still having a hard time catching her breath.

"Breathe, Nancy." Anna began breathing deeply, coaching her along. "In. Out. In. Out."

After a few moments, Nancy finally felt her heart returning to a steady beat, her breathing becoming easier. Anna slowly released her hands to stand up and grab her chair, bringing it so she was sitting directly across from Nancy.

"We'll just take things slowly," Anna said softly. "At any time, if you feel like you no longer want to talk, we'll stop and pick it up another day. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay, let's start with the day you were taken. Tell me what happened."

Taking another deep, cleansing breath, Nancy sat up straighter in her chair. The oversized cushions brought a sense of comfort to her, almost as if they were hugging her. "I work as a private detective, along with my fiancé and his brother. The police asked for our help with the serial killer case, even though we didn't particularly like dealing with murders."

"So, why did you agree to help them?"

"We wanted to put a stop to him, just as badly as the police did," Nancy answered with a shrug. "We were tired of everyone having to live in fear, unsure of where he would strike next."

"Seems reasonable to me," Anna said with a nod. "Looking back, do you regret agreeing to offer your assistance?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's what we do." Nancy felt a swell of pride at the sound of conviction to her voice. She wasn't lying when she said she didn't regret her decision about joining the investigation. Even if she had known what she was getting into, she knew, without a doubt, that she would still agree to help.

It was who she was.

Nancy instantly felt a wave of anger wash over her, hating that Wesley had managed to take that away from her.

"What are you feeling right now, Nancy."

"Anger."

"Towards whom?"

"Wesley."

"Why?"

"Because he took something away from me."

"What did he take away from you, Nancy?"

"My confidence and determination," Nancy said, clenching her fists tightly. "He made me afraid to do what I love."

"And that makes you angry?"

"Yes."

Anna made a note on Nancy's file. "Is it only Agent Levine who you're angry with?"

Nancy didn't say anything for a few moments as she thought about what the doctor was asking her. Was she just angry at Wesley? Or should her anger also be pointed in another direction?

Namely at herself.

"No," Nancy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Who else are you angry with, Nancy?"

"Myself."

"Why?"

"Because I let him have this amount of control over me, even after three months." Nancy swallowed hard as she looked up at Anna. "I'm still letting him dictate my life when I should be taking it back, putting him behind me."

"And why can't you do that?"

"Because I'm afraid."

There. She admitted it. Nancy Drew was afraid.

Nodding her head, Anna closed Nancy's file and stood up. Taking off her glasses, Ann placed the items on her desk before walking to the door.

Nancy was confused as Anna opened the door. "Wait. That's it?"

"Our hour is up," Anna said with a smile. "We'll pick up on your next appointment on Thursday. You did really well, Nancy."

Gathering her purse, Nancy stood up and walked to the door. "I don't feel as if I did anything. I don't feel any different."

Anna let out a chuckle. "I never promised you would be better in an hour, Nancy. This isn't something we can fix with a shot and a Band-aid. It's going to take some time so don't get discouraged."

"Thank you, Doctor McHan," Nancy said, feeling optimistic at her words. Maybe there was hope for her, after all.

"You're very welcome, Nancy. I'll see you again in a couple of days."

* * *

Nancy felt as if a small weight had been lifted off of her shoulders as she unlocked the door to her apartment and put her keys and purse down. Frank had been right all along—talking to a psychologist had been a good idea. It felt good to get her feelings out into the open with a stranger, especially since she wasn't quite ready to confide in Frank or Joe yet.

She hoped with time, it would be easier. But she knew she was taking a step in the right direction.

For the first time in quite a while, she actually felt human.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone and dialed Frank's number, smiling when he answered on the first ring.

"_Nancy?"_

"Hey. You busy?"

"_I'm never too busy to talk to you, Nan,"_ Frank said softly. _"How did it go?"_

"It went well," Nancy answered. "I think I'm really going to like her."

"_That's good, Nan. I'm really proud of you."_

"That's what I gathered from the message you left me. So, have you and Joe made it to Madison yet?"

"_We're about an hour out."_

"And you'll be home tonight?" Nancy didn't want to sound so needy, but she really didn't want to spend a night away from Frank. Ever since she'd been rescued, there wasn't a night that went by that he wasn't by her side.

"_That's the plan. We just need to follow up on a lead, but it shouldn't take us more than a few hours. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"_

"Yeah," Nancy said, a little too quickly. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to clean the apartment."

"_The place it spotless, Nancy. I don't think it's possible for you to clean it anymore."_

Nancy shrugged even though Frank couldn't see it. "Maybe I'll read a book instead."

"_Or you could always get some sleep," _Frank argued. _"You need to get some sleep, Nan."_

"Don't worry about me, Frank. I'll be fine," Nancy said, getting slightly annoyed with the mother henning from Frank. "Call me when you're on your way home. And tell Joe to stop by—I'll cook us something for dinner."

"_I'll let him know. I love you, Nan."_

"I love you, too."

Hanging up, Nancy tossed the phone on the couch and walked to her bedroom. She wanted nothing more than to take a long, relaxing bath and maybe read the book she'd been trying to get to for weeks now. She felt as if she could actually get into it now, after her appointment with Doctor McHan.

Walking to her dresser, she pulled out a pair of sweats and a black tank top. As she was walking to the bathroom, a box on her bed caught her attention. It was a small white box, tied together with a red bow. Smiling to herself, she figured it was a gift from Frank.

Putting her clothes down, Nancy picked the box up and sat down on her bed. Gently tugging to bow free, she lifted the lid. A scream lodged in her throat as she caught a glimpse of the large tarantula before she threw it across the room, where it bounced with a loud thud against the wall.

Scurrying up the bed, Nancy peered at the spider, seeing that it wasn't moving. Just because it wasn't moving, didn't make it any less scary.

She knew without a doubt that it wasn't a gift from Frank. But she also knew that it couldn't be from Wesley. Frank had assured her that he was locked away in jail, awaiting trial. It had to be someone's idea of a sick joke.

But the question was, how in the hell did it end up on her bed?

She remembered locking the door and activating the alarm. And the only reason she remembered that was because she was so OCD about making sure both things were done, even when she went down to the lobby to grab the mail.

Looking past the spider, Nancy spied a sheet of paper sticking out from the box. Taking a deep breath, she slowly eased herself off the bed and picked it up. She opened the folded sheet of paper with shaking hands.

"_My new parlor awaits you, Nancy. Are you ready to play a new game?"_

* * *

**Thank you so much for everyone who is reading, and especially those who are reviewing: Michelle Gallichio (I'm glad I can keep you reading—I'm trying to keep the spiders to a minimum!), max2013 (Aw, thanks—I take my membership to the evil writer's guild very seriously), Caranath (Yep, plenty of Nancy torture—because I love doing it), Guest (I do love to torture her—does that make me a bad person?), Cupcake (Yeah, the name of the agency of cheesy, but I do love me some cheese. I am so happy you love Wesley—he's a fun nut to write!), SC15 (Glad you like my Wesley!), Xdaisy chainX (I'm sorry that I have to end the chapters, but that just makes you want more!), and SarahE7191 (Glad you love it!).**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	5. Four

**Four**

* * *

Nancy could only stare at the handwritten note in disbelief. She had to be imagining what she was reading. There was no way that Wesley could have written the note and left it in her bedroom.

He was in jail.

Frank had promised her that he would never come after her again. And Frank always kept his promises to her. Never in the years had she known him had he betrayed her. Sure, he told a little white lie every now and then—even she was guilty of that herself.

But for Frank to betray her…it was something she had a hard time wrapping her head around. No matter if it was done to protect her, it was something that Nancy couldn't easily forgive. Frank had to know what it would do to her, knowing that Wesley really was still out there, watching her from the shadows.

Because if he was out there, there wasn't any doubt in Nancy's mind that he would come after her again. And the note he'd left her pretty much guaranteed that. Wesley wasn't finished with her—not by a long shot.

Folding the note, Nancy gathered the box and the spider and placed the items back inside before sliding it into her bedside dresser. She wasn't about to let Frank know what she'd received. He would only freak out and she wanted to have proof before she accused him of lying to her.

A wave of anger washed over her as she thought about how Wesley got into her home, her sanctuary. If his intention had been to scare her with the spider, he had succeeded on that front. She would be stupid not to be afraid—she knew firsthand what Wesley was capable of.

But he had also succeeded in making her angry. She refused to hide in a corner and cower in fear. She wouldn't let him do that to her again.

Ignoring her comfortable clothes and thoughts of taking a long, relaxing bath, Nancy grabbed her keys and walked out of the apartment. She made sure to lock the door behind her before taking the elevator down to the lobby. Someone had to have seen who'd gotten into her apartment. One of the reasons she and Frank had chosen to live there was because of the round-the-clock security the complex offered.

Bypassing the front desk, Nancy walked towards the security office, knocking on the door. A tall man with curly brown hair and a ruddy complexion glanced up from his paperwork with a welcoming smile. The nameplate on his desk said his name was Ken Johnson. "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if there was any way that I could see if anyone has been inside my apartment," Nancy said, stepping into the office.

Ken immediately put down his pen and sat up a little straighter, a frown on his face. "Do you have any evidence?"

_You mean, besides the dead spider that was waiting on my bed for me?_ Nancy thought, but didn't want to say aloud. That would have gotten the police involved and Nancy wanted to keep them out of it as long as she could. "Not exactly," Nancy admitted. "It's just a feeling that I have."

Visibly relaxing, Ken flashed her an apologetic smile. "I can assure you that we make security for our residents our top priority. There is no way anyone could have gotten into your apartment without any of us knowing. We monitor the premises twenty-four seven."

"I understand that. I just want to make sure."

"Without any evidence, I'm afraid that I can't help you," Ken said as he stood up and walked over to the door. "If there was anything amiss, you would have been notified."

Nancy tried to hide her annoyance, but it was proving difficult. "There were some things that were moved in my apartment," she said, the lie coming out of her mouth without any hesitation.

"Are you sure it wasn't your roommate?"

"I didn't leave until after my _fiancé_ left the apartment. I wasn't gone any longer than two hours."

"Maybe he came back after you left," Ken argued.

Nancy gritted her teeth as she stared up at the infuriating man towering over her. "Maybe I should just go to the police with my concerns."

Ken's condescending smile instantly fell from his face as he blocked Nancy's exit. "Now, there's no need to get the police involved. This is all just a misunderstanding. Why don't we see if we can handle this situation ourselves?"

"Good idea," Nancy said as she followed Ken out of the outer office and into another room that was teeming with video monitors. A desk sat in the middle of the room, housing two large Mac computers. Another security guard was sitting behind it and he glanced up when they walked into the room.

"Hey, Billy—why don't you take a fifteen minute break?" Ken asked with a nod towards the door.

Billy looked slightly alarmed. "But I just clocked in thirty minutes ago."

"Take your break on the clock," Ken said with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Go, Billy."

"Yes sir." Billy scrambled out of his chair and hurried out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Ken immediately took his vacated seat and typed a few things into the computer, pulling up a security feed that focused on Nancy's floor. She walked around until she was standing directly behind him so she could get a better look. Ken shot her an annoyed look, but said nothing as he focused his attention once more on the monitor.

"So, what exactly is it that I'm supposed to be looking for?"

"I'm not sure," Nancy admitted.

"Let's start with something easy," Ken said, glancing up at her. "What time did you leave your apartment this morning?"

"Nine thirty."

The security guard only grunted as he typed in a few more commands, skipping over the video feed until he got to the time stamp he was searching for. He pointed at the monitor and Nancy saw herself walking out of her unit, locking the door behind her.

Nancy remained silent as the video feed sped along, keeping her eyes alert for any unexpected visitors. A few minutes passed before she spotted someone walking down the hallway, stopping at her door. It was clearly a man dressed in a maintenance uniform, but she couldn't make out his face because of the ball cap that was situated low over his face.

"Did you put in a call to maintenance?" Ken asked as the man unlocked her door and let himself into her apartment.

"I didn't," Nancy admitted. "But I guess that Frank could have…"

"Frank is your fiancé?"

"Yes."

They watched the monitor for a while longer, only to see the man walk out five minutes later, locking the door behind him with his master key. He never turned towards the camera as he walked down the hall and out of the frame. Nancy couldn't shake the feeling that his build looked vaguely familiar to her.

In fact, it was very similar to Wesley's.

"It looks like all this was just a lack of—" Ken stopped speaking as the door to the room flew open, Billy standing there with a worried expression on his face. "What is it, Billy?"

"Leo just stumbled out of the utility closet bleeding from a gash on his head," Billy said, his gaze darting back and forth between Ken and Nancy.

"Who's Leo?" Nancy asked, confused.

Ken frowned at Nancy. "He's one of our maintenance men." He turned his attention back to the other security guard. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know. He can't even remember what happened to him," Billy explained. "He's on his way to the hospital now to get checked out. But that's not the weirdest part."

"What is?"

Billy swallowed hard. "When Leo stumbled out, he was dressed in nothing more than his boxers and undershirt. His uniform was gone."

Nancy felt a stab of fear at Billy's revelation. She knew without a doubt that whoever was in her apartment was not one of the maintenance men who worked at the complex. And while she didn't get a glimpse of his face on the security footage, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was Wesley who had somehow left her the present in the bedroom.

Which could only mean that Frank had been lying to her this entire time.

* * *

Wesley smiled to himself as he kept a safe distance behind his next target, keeping at least two car lengths behind the red Jeep. It had taken very little effort to sneak into Taylor Vaughn's garage and drill a hole in the gas line, ensuring that she would break down on the side of the road.

It was a good thing that he was following behind her so closely to lend a helping hand. Luck was also on his side considering her job as a registered nurse at the county hospital was a little ways out of town and she always insisted on taking the back roads to avoid traffic.

Good for him. Not so good for the sweet brunette in the red Jeep.

He knew everything there was to know about Taylor. She'd left her hometown of Boston four years ago to attend school at the University of Indianapolis just to follow the supposed boy of her dreams. It didn't go well for her when he broke her heart during the first semester of their freshman year. Instead of going back home to Boston with her tail tucked between her legs, Taylor had decided to stick it out.

It had gone well for her until her junior year when she was attacked by a man on campus who had raped and killed several coeds. Taylor would have died if not for the fact that her attacker had been interrupted by a passing faculty member who happened to hear her cries for help. As it was, she had suffered severe head trauma, not to mention losing a large amount of blood.

Her attacker had been arrested a week later on a traffic violation, only to subsequently be charged with five murders after DNA evidence left behind inked him to the crimes. He was currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Even after everything she had gone through, Taylor still managed to graduate on time and at the top of her class. Now, not only was she a nurse working the emergency room at the county hospital, but she was engaged to be married in a few short weeks.

A tiny part of Wesley almost felt bad that he was about to shatter the safe haven she had made for herself.

Almost.

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he chuckled to himself as he noticed Taylor's car begin to slow down and sputter. He watched as she turned on her hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road. There were no other cars traveling on the road as he pulled up behind her car.

Giving himself one cursory glance in the rearview mirror, he got out and approached her vehicle, making sure he was wearing a worried expression on his face.

"Is everything okay?" Wesley asked as he knocked on the window. He had to work hard not to smile as she jumped in her seat, her hand held over her heart. It was the thing he loved the most—fear.

Taylor gave him a frightened look before she smiled timidly. "Everything's okay." She held up her cell phone as she rolled down her window a little bit. "I'm calling roadside assistance."

Wesley frowned. "I don't mind helping you. Do you know what's wrong with it?"

"My gas gauge says I'm out of gas, which is ridiculous since I filled up my tank yesterday."

"It sounds like it could be a leak in your gas line," Wesley said, feigning concern. "I can help you get into town, if you would like."

Taylor shook her head. "I'd rather just get someone out here."

Wesley smiled a charming smile, knowing how it could practically melt any woman's resolve. At least, that's what he'd always been told and it had never failed him yet. "I wasn't offering to give you a ride. I have a gas can in my car that has some gas in it. It should be enough to get you into town and to a mechanic."

Taylor hesitated. "I don't know. I'd hate to take your gas away from you. What if you need it?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll just fill it up again." Wesley's smile deepened. "I'd feel horrible if I left you here to wait forever for a tow truck to come along. You look like you were about to head into work."

"I'm running late as it is," Taylor said, glancing down at her scrubs. She tapped her phone against her chin as she contemplated his offer. "Are you sure it's not any trouble?"

"None at all. I'll even follow you into town to make sure you arrive safely."

"Okay," Taylor said, flashing him a grateful smile. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome," Wesley said, stepping away from her vehicle. "Let me grab it from the trunk and I'll be right back."

Jogging back to his car, Wesley couldn't help but feel elated that he'd gotten her to trust him so quickly. It just went to show how gullible people were, especially when they were desperate. As he grabbed the red gas can from his trunk, he noticed that Taylor had gotten out of her car and was waiting for him at the gas tank.

_This was way too easy…_

Walking over to her, he held out his hand while he unscrewed the lid to the gas tank. "By the way, my name is Wesley."

"Taylor," she answered, shaking his hand with a bright smile. "Again, I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"It's not a problem," Wesley assured her as he poured the gas into the tank. "Anything for a fellow motorist in need. I know I would want someone to do the same thing for me. Like paying it forward, you know?"

Taylor nodded as she hugged herself against the cold winter air. Wesley imagined she had to be cold, considering she was wearing nothing but her scrubs. She hadn't even bothered to grab her jacket before she got out of the Jeep.

Finishing up with the gas, Wesley replaced the lid and took a step back. "There you go. All set."

"Let me at least give you some money to repay you for the gas," Taylor said, moving to the driver's side door.

"That really isn't necessary," Wesley protested.

"I insist."

As soon as she leaned her body into her car, Wesley was on top of her holding a chloroform filled rag over her mouth and nose. He couldn't help but feel a thrill as she let out a muffled scream, struggling against him as she tried to escape his grasp.

"Shh, it's okay, Taylor," Wesley whispered into her ear as her struggles became weaker. "You're just going to take a little nap. It's nothing to worry about."

After a few more moments, the young woman finally went limp in his grip. Checking to make sure there were no cars coming, Wesley picked her up and brought her over to the trunk of his car, where he made quick work securing her tightly. As soon as he was finished, he retrieved the gas can from the ground and grabbed her purse and cell phone from her Jeep.

Tossing the items inside of his backseat, he pulled out onto the road and headed back to his place, excitement coursing through his veins.

Today was turning out to be a pretty great day, if he did say so himself.

* * *

**The Hardy's will be back on the next chapter…I promise!**

**A big thanks to the following people who reviewed: max2013 (I really am so sorry for being evil!), Michelle Gallichio (Nancy is definitely going to be upset at our favorite dark-haired Hardy), Caranath (Thank you so much for the kind words—and sorry about the psychos. They don't believe in allowing you to have your coffee…), Xdaisy chainX (I would also die if I came home to a box full of spiders…believe me, it scares the crap out of me to research them!), SarahE7191 (There is a lot more creepiness to come, especially now that you have asked for it!), catlover1033 (Welcome! And thank you so much for your compliment—I really try to make my story as realistic as possible, so when I get a review like yours, it makes me feel as if I am doing it right!), Jabba1 (Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it!), SC15 (I enjoy pulling rugs out from underneath our beloved characters!), and Cupcake (I've never had anyone want to write one of my characters. I have to admit, it makes me curious about what others would do with someone like Wesley…). You guys rock, but you already know that!**

**I want to also thank everyone else who is reading but may be too shy to review!**

**You know the drill…I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	6. Five

**Five**

* * *

As Frank pulled up in the parking lot of Luigi's, he had the bite back a chuckle at the rumbling that came from Joe's stomach, almost as if it was timed to go off the exact moment they pulled up at the Italian restaurant. It was just a reminder to him, that no matter how crazy things were at any given moment, there would always be one constant—Joe's endless appetite.

It was something that Frank could count on, something he desperately needed since he felt his world had been on unstable ground for the past few months.

"You can't possibly be hungry again, Joe," Frank grumbled as he took off his seatbelt and got out of the car. "We ate breakfast on the way here."

Joe shrugged as he joined his brother around the front of the vehicle. "Yeah, but that was some drive-thru sausage biscuit. It barely even made a dent."

"Obviously." Frank turned his head to fix Joe with a pointed glare. "Just remember we're here to find out information about Ella Jacobs—not lunch."

"While we're here, why don't we just kill two birds with one stone? We question everyone while enjoying a great meal."

"No," Frank said as he opened the door to the restaurant where they were instantly greeted with the zesty Italian aromas emanating from the kitchen. Frank felt his own mouth watering, and he considered caving in to Joe's idea. Almost.

"You're no fun," Joe grumbled as he followed Frank.

"I'm plenty fun," Frank argued, as they approached the smiling hostess. "You're just never around me when I'm fun."

"I'm around you all the time."

"Not necessarily."

"Whatever." Joe nudged Frank out of the way to smile at the cute hostess. She was petite with blonde, wavy hair that hung past her shoulders and blue eyes that sparkled in the dim lighting. Her name tag said her name was Holly. "Hi. We were wondering if you could help us."

"Would you like a table?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Joe answered with a disappointed glare in Frank's direction. "We're actually here to ask a few questions about this woman." Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a picture of Ella. "Does she look familiar to you?"

Holly frowned as she studied the picture before recognition flashed in her eyes. "She was in here a couple of days ago." She narrowed her eyes at the brothers. "Who are you?"

"My name is Frank Hardy and this is my brother, Joe. We're private investigators from near Chicago," Frank answered.

"What are you doing all the way up here in Wisconsin?"

"We're looking for the woman in this picture."

"Why?"

"Because we think it may be connected to another case we are working on," Frank said, trying hard to have patience with the young woman before him. He knew she was weary of them, and rightly so. But it wasn't exactly helping with their investigation.

"But the police have already been here, questioning all of us," Holly stubbornly went on.

"We're not working with the police," Joe said, smiling softly at her. He lowered his voice so he was speaking gently to her. "We really would appreciate any help you can give us."

Holly studied Joe for a few long moments before slowly nodding her head. "Let me let my manager know I'm taking a break."

"Sure," Joe said, flashing her another smile.

Frank rolled his eyes as Joe turned to smirk at him. "Could you at least tone down the flirting just a little bit?"

"I wasn't flirting with her," Joe argued. "I was being relatable and charming. You should try it some time."

"Why, when I have you around to do it for me?"

Before Joe could say anything, Holly was back and ushering them out the door, towards a little coffee shop next door. Frank couldn't resist the pull of coffee, so they each put in their orders before finding a quiet booth towards the back where they could have a little privacy.

"I only have thirty minutes before I have to get back to work," Holly said as she took a sip of her coffee. "I also called Karen to meet us over here."

"Who is Karen?" Frank asked.

"Ella's best friend. She's been hanging around the restaurant nonstop ever since Ella disappeared." Holly shrugged. "I think she kind of blames herself for what happened."

"Why would she do that?"

"I'll let her explain when she gets here."

"So, getting back to Ella," Joe said, leaning forward in his seat. "What time was she in the restaurant the other night?"

"She got there a little before seven."

"Was she meeting anyone there?"

Holly nodded. "Apparently, she was meeting up with a man she had met online. At least, that's what the police were saying."

"Did you see what this man looked like?"

"He was really attractive, tall." She glanced over at Frank. "He had dark hair like yours and was kind of scruffy."

"Scruffy how?" Frank asked.

"Not in the horrible way…sexy in the five-o'clock-shadow-way." She smiled to herself. "Just enough to drive any woman to want to jump him as soon as she saw him."

Frank instantly felt heat creep along his face, slightly embarrassed by Holly's description of the mysterious man. Just went to show that women could be just as bad as men when it came to the opposite sex.

Joe cleared his throat, trading an amused look with Frank. "Is there anything else you can remember?"

Holly didn't have the grace to look ashamed. "They stayed around for hours, up until closing time."

"Do you have any security footage that we could take a look at?"

"No. Luigi's too cheap to fork over for video cameras." Holly glanced up as the bell above the door chimed and a woman came in, looking around the coffee shop. "Oh, there's Karen."

As the other woman came closer, Frank noticed how pale she was, her jet black hair making her look almost like a ghost. Dark circles were prominent under dark brown eyes, almost as if she hadn't slept the entire time since Ella went missing. She sank into the seat next to Holly, letting out a despondent sigh.

"Hi, Karen," Frank said, gently. "My name is Frank Hardy and this is my brother, Joe."

"Did you find Ella?" Karen asked, barely acknowledging the introductions.

"Not yet, but we're working on it."

Karen's face fell even more before she buried her face into her hands, sobbing softly. "This is all my fault," she whispered as Holly began rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.

"Holly said you were blaming yourself for what happened to Ella," Joe said softly. "Why is that, Karen?"

Lifting her head up, Karen took the napkin that Joe offered her, dabbing at her eyes. "I pressured Ella into online dating, even though she wasn't ready for it. I even set up a profile without her knowing about it and kind of threw her into it. She didn't really have a choice once she started getting inquiries."

"Why would you do that?"

"Ella had been through a lot in the previous year. I didn't like seeing her hiding away from the world. She wasn't like that before…"

"Before she was kidnapped a year ago?" Frank asked.

"You know about that?"

Frank nodded. "We know all about her case. She was lucky to have even survived what Jason Miller did to her."

"She was," Karen agreed. "And I understood her fear about facing people for the first few months, but by the time the sixth month came around, she still wasn't any better. She chose to work from home, barely having any contact with anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. I'd talked to her before about going out, but she refused—said she wasn't ready for it yet."

"So what made you set up a dating profile for her?" Joe asked, frowning.

"I knew if I didn't do it, she never would get brave enough to get out there again," Karen said with a shrug. "It's kind of like training a child to ride a bike. If you don't take the training wheels off and let go, then they'll never learn to ride on their own."

"How did Ella take the news when she found out what you did?"

"At first she was angry with me, but I think eventually she warmed up to the idea. She really seemed to be excited about one guy in particular."

"Do you know his name?"

Karen shook her head. "She just said that his name was Ben. That's all she would tell me about him. Last weekend, she tells me that she's finally going to meet him in person. That was a couple of days ago."

"Did she happen to show you what he looked like?" Frank asked.

Karen nodded.

Reaching into his jacket, Frank pulled out a picture of Wesley Levine. He had no proof to believe that he was the person that Ella was meeting, but he also couldn't overlook the possibility. "Is this the man that Ella was meeting up with?"

Karen took the picture with trembling hands, Holly leaning close to look at it as well. "That's him," Karen whispered. "He looked a little different, but this is definitely Ben."

Holly nodded her agreement. "He had facial hair when he came into the restaurant, but Karen's right. This is the guy who was with Ella."

Frank took the picture back from Karen, trying to keep his expression blank as he exchanged a look with Joe. There was no hiding the worried look on his younger sibling's face though. Joe was freaked out, and with good reason.

This was no coincidence that the last person Ella was seen with was Wesley. He definitely had something planned. The only question now was if they would find her in time before they found her body instead.

"Do you think Ben had something to do with her disappearance?" Karen asked, looking back and forth between the brothers with wide eyes.

"Possibly," Frank answered, not wanting to reveal too much. He wanted the girls to be cautious, but he also didn't want to cause panic, knowing that they would likely talk to other people. "But we can't be sure of anything. Ben is a likely suspect since he was the last person seen with Ella."

"You're going to keep looking for her, right?" Karen asked, tears forming in her eyes once again.

"We are," Joe answered.

Frank glanced at his watch, seeing that it was getting late. They needed to get on the road if they wanted to make it back to Nancy before dinner. Reaching for his wallet, he pulled out a couple of business cards and handed one each to Karen and Holly. "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to give us a call."

"We will," Holly said as she helped Karen out of the booth.

"Please, let me know if you find out anything about Ella."

"You have our word," Joe answered, as they followed them out of the coffee shop, separating once they stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Looks like we finally caught our first break concerning Wesley."

Frank nodded as they made their way back to their car. "Yeah, but I was really hoping for a different outcome. Looks like he's just picking up where he left off."

"You think the girl is dead?" Joe asked as they slipped inside the car as a tandem unit.

"If she isn't, then I don't think she has much longer." Frank hit the steering wheel in frustration. "Why the hell couldn't it just be simple? We shouldn't have dragged our feet for so long. We should have gone after him as soon as we realized he escaped."

Joe frowned. "We were a little more concerned with Nancy at the time and the fact that she was dying. You can't blame yourself for that, Frank. I won't sit here and let you."

Frank let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. "He's going to come after her again, Joe. He's playing a game with us—I know he is."

"Then we don't let him win," Joe said firmly.

"That may be easier—" Frank was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled it out and glanced at the screen, seeing a number he didn't recognize. "Hello?"

"_A little birdie tells me you've been looking for me."_

Frank jerked the wheel to the right at the sound of Wesley's voice, nearly running off the road and into a stand of trees.

"Holy shit, Frank!" Joe yelled, gripping the handle above his head. "What the hell?"

Ignoring Joe, Frank pulled off to the side of the road and put the car in park. His grip tightened on the phone as he tried to regain his composure.

"_Are you still there?" _

"I'm here," Frank said through gritted teeth. "How the hell did you get this number?"

Wesley chuckled. _"Give me a little credit, Frank. I was an agent with the FBI for years. Finding your number was cake compared to what I used to do."_

"Frank, who is it?" Joe asked, watching him intently.

"_Why don't you tell your brother who you're talking to? I can wait."_

"Frank!"

Frank turned to glare at his brother. "Wesley."

"_See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" _Wesley asked.

"What the hell do you want?"

"_I wanted to catch up. We left on such horrible terms, what with you punching me in the face and leaving me tied up."_

"Believe me, if I had to do it again, I would have done far worse," Frank seethed. "Especially after finding out what you did to Nancy?"

"_How is our girl, by the way?"_

"None of your damn business."

"_You don't have to tell me, Frank," _Wesley answered with a dark chuckle. _"After all, I can see for myself."_

Frank felt his blood run cold at Wesley's words. _No. No, there was no way in hell his insinuation could be true. _"Where are you?"

"_You know, you really shouldn't have left her alone. So helpless. So vulnerable." _Wesley let out a sigh. _"She's just ripe for the taking."_

"Stay away from her, you son of a bitch!" Frank yelled as he jerked his seatbelt off and opened the door. "Joe, get us out of here and back home!"

Joe scooted over into the driver's seat just as Frank slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door as he kept the phone firmly pressed against his ear.

"_That's a very wise decision, Frank. You really shouldn't be driving in your condition."_

"If you touch one hair on her head, I swear to God…"

"_You'll what? I happen to know you're nowhere near your apartment, thanks to GPS. I could take my time with her before I ripped her away from you."_

Frank closed his eyes, trying to rein in his emotions. Wesley was just trying to bait him, he knew that. But God, it was so easy to give in, especially when Nancy's life was at stake.

"_Would you like to know what I'm going to do with her, Frank?"_ Wesley taunted. _"I won't be picking up where I left off. Instead, I plan to start over and take my time. She'll be begging for death by the time I'm finished with her…"_

"Don't…" Frank begged, hating how weak he sounded. If Wesley managed to take her again, he would willingly find the closest cliff and take a swan dive. He honestly didn't know if he could live through it again. Hell, he didn't know if he _wanted _to.

"_Why, Frank—I think it sounds like you're begging."_

"Just leave her alone."

"_I'm afraid that I can't do that," _Wesley said, feigning sympathy. _"She's the one, Frank. Hell, even you know that yourself."_

"I will find you," Frank said, feeling anger swell in him once more. "If it is the last thing I do, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"_I'm sure you will,"_ Wesley said with a chuckle. _"Goodbye, Frank."_

"Wait!" Frank began, but Wesley had hung up.

"Frank…"

Frank shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. If he looked at Joe, he knew he would lose it. He was barely hanging on as it was. He quickly dialed Nancy's number, silently praying as the line rang and rang.

"Come on, Nan. Answer the damn phone."

"_Hi. This is Nancy. Wait for the beep—you know the rest."_

"Nancy, it's Frank. It's extremely urgent that you call me as soon as you get this message," Frank said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "Call me back, Nan."

Joe glanced at Frank, but kept his mouth shut. Frank knew he didn't need to say anything as Joe pressed harder on the gas, increasing their speed.

* * *

**Just because you guys are so amazingly awesome, I had to get the next chapter out for you! And have I mentioned how much I truly love Wesley? It's a sickness, I know…**

**A big thanks to everyone who has reviewed: Michelle Gallichio (We shall see how the fight goes…it's coming up!), Caranath (You already know how I feel about your review and again, I just want to say thank you!), MinecraftDanny (Welcome—and please don't die! If that's not incentive for me to write, then I don't know what is!), max2013 (It's good that you don't like Wesley…I'm doing it right if that's the case!), Cupcake (You just be as dramatic as you want because I love it!), Jabba1 (I could never leave Nancy that way for long—I don't like her being a weak little thing), catlover1033 (I don't have plans for including Frank's reaction in this story, but you have just earned yourself a oneshot from his POV as soon as I complete this story!), and SC15 (There will definitely be some butt kicking in the future…)**

**I also want to thank those who have added me to their alert lists. I really appreciate it!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	7. Six

**Six**

* * *

Nancy let out a sigh as her cell phone buzzed yet again from where it was sitting on the coffee table. She knew without even looking at it that it was Frank. He'd been calling her nonstop for the last hour and a half, but Nancy just couldn't muster up the willpower to answer it, afraid of what she would say if she did.

She still couldn't believe that he had lied to her. It would have been okay if it was a harmless little lie, like forgetting to put the check for the utility bill in the mail and then saying it must have gotten lost when it was in his car the entire time. That, she could have easily forgiven.

But lying to her about Wesley?

It cut through her so deeply, she was sure she was slowly bleeding to death. At least, that was what it felt like to her. Taking an actual knife and cutting into her skin would have hurt a whole hell of a lot less. That pain would have been temporary.

What the hell was Frank thinking? Did he really think he was protecting her by keeping something so important from her? Did he think she was going to heal faster if she thought Wesley was no longer a threat?

The thing that killed her was that deep down, she knew that he'd only lied to her because he loved her so much. Love could make people do things they wouldn't normally do. If she really took the time to look at it, she would have done the same thing for him. And the rational part of her brain was telling her to just let it go.

However, the stubborn three-year-old part of her brain wanted her to lash out at him, stomp her feet, and cry.

And the way it was looking at the moment, that part of her brain was going to win.

Bringing up the wine glass to her mouth, she let out a frustrated sigh as she saw it was empty. Reaching for the bottle of Moscato, she emptied the rest of the contents into her glass and took a big gulp. No, alcohol wasn't the best idea, considering she was barely hanging on as it was, but it sure did help to numb the pain.

All she wanted was for the pain to go away.

Was that really so much to ask for?

Letting out another sigh, Nancy leaned her head back against the couch cushion, closing her eyes. More than anything, she wished today had never happened. She would give anything for the last few hours to be nothing more than a nightmare.

It really was too bad that wishes didn't come true.

Her eyes popped open when she heard the sound of a key scraping in the lock before the door was flung open to reveal Frank, Joe following on his heels.

"Nancy! Why the hell haven't you been answering your phone?" Frank demanded as he stormed across the room, stopping in front of the couch. "I must have called you a hundred times!"

Nancy drained the last of her wine and slammed the glass down on the table as she glared up at him. "Actually, it was sixty-six times, but who's counting?"

"Why didn't you pick up?" Frank demanded, his brown eyes flashing angrily. "I was worried sick about you!"

"Really?" Nancy asked, feigning shock. "Is there a reason for you to be worried about me, Frank? I mean, any more than usual?"

_Don't you dare lie to me again, Frank. This is your time to come clean…_

Frank opened his mouth to say something, but apparently changed his mind. All of a sudden, he seemed to deflate as he sunk onto the couch beside her. He leaned forward and put his hands in his face, shaking his head back and forth.

"I'm sorry, Nan…" Frank said, softly. "I am so damn sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Nancy asked, still pretending as if she didn't know. She wanted to hear him say it. She wanted him to admit what he'd done.

"I should have told you from the beginning."

Joe rolled his eyes as he moved around to sit in the chair across from them. "Just spit it out already, Frank. She already knows—she just wants to hear to say it."

Frank looked sharply at Nancy. "You know?"

"Why don't you tell me what it is you think I know, Frank?" Nancy said, not cutting him any slack. She didn't miss the way Joe's body shook as he chuckled silently.

Turning to face her completely, Frank took her hands in his, holding onto them tightly. "The night that we rescued you, I wasn't completely honest about what happened to Wesley."

Nancy kept her face expressionless as she waited for him to continue.

"Before we found you in the basement, Joe and I confronted Wesley and left him tied up after I knocked him unconscious. He never should have woken up before we got back upstairs, and even if he did, he never should have managed to free himself from the ropes." Frank shook his head in frustration. "By the time we were carrying you upstairs, he was gone."

"Gone?" Nancy repeated.

Frank nodded. "The police spent the next few hours canvassing the entire neighborhood, but there was no sign of him. He was nowhere to be found."

"And he still hasn't been found?"

"No." Frank brought her hands up to his mouth and kissed them. "Words cannot express how sorry I am, Nan. I know I should have told you the truth from the beginning."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I was so scared that it would push you further away from me. And I couldn't handle that, Nancy. I couldn't bear to see you in pain for another second."

Nancy sat there staring at him for a few long moments, her emotions warring inside her—anger, frustration, gratitude, admiration, and love. They were all combating for the top spot, but she wasn't sure which would come out on top.

Joe cleared his throat, startling the both of them. "Nancy, the blame can't fall entirely on Frank's shoulders. I'm as much to blame as he is. We really thought we were doing the right thing by keeping it from you."

"It wasn't your decision to make," Nancy said coldly.

"Maybe it wasn't," Joe agreed. "But if I had to go back and do it again, I would have. You were barely a functioning human being, Nance. Hell, you're still not even close to being who you once were, and it's been three months."

Nancy felt anger rush through her veins as she jerked her hands away from Frank and stood up, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "How the hell would you know, Joe? You're barely spoken to me since I got home from the hospital. To actually get you to come over here was like pulling teeth!"

Joe stood up and closed the distance between them, towering over her by a few inches. "Do you honestly want to know what I didn't want to come here?"

"A little honesty would be a nice change around here."

"I couldn't stand to be around you, Nancy. Every time I would look at you, I would feel nothing but pity," Joe said.

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel about me?"

"It was like you were no longer than human, Nan," Joe continued, softening his voice a bit. "Every move you made, it was like you were programmed to do it, like some kind of robot. You were detached, emotionless…pretty much a zombie."

Nancy felt tears spring to her eyes, but somehow, she managed to push them down. She needed to hear this. No matter how much it hurt, she knew she needed to hear this.

Joe took a step closer to her, taking her hands in his. "I can't even begin to imagine what you went through, Nancy. I won't even pretend to understand. You went through hell, there's no denying that. But to see you and be around you when you got back, it hurt too much. It wasn't the way I was accustomed to seeing you."

This time, Nancy didn't stop the tears as they trailed down her cheeks. "I needed you, Joe. You're like a brother to me, and I needed you. I'm sorry for acting the way I did, but even as much as it hurt you to see me like that, it hurt me just as much not to have you around." Nancy choked on a sob as she peered up at him. "I've missed you so much…"

"Oh, Nan…please don't cry." Joe enveloped her in a hug, holding onto her tightly. Nancy clutched onto him as if her very life depended on it, relishing in the comfort his embrace offered her. "Can you ever forgive me for being such an ass?"

"Can you forgive me for being a zombie?" Nancy asked, barking out a laugh.

"Sure," Joe said, rocking her back and forth before pulling away. "Besides, if you really think about it, zombies are pretty cool. It's all the rage right now."

Nancy flashed him a watery smile. "I know you're still secretly hoping for the day a zombie case comes across our desks."

"You have to admit, it would be kind of cool," Joe replied with a smile of his own.

"Maybe…" Taking a deep breath to regain control of her emotions, Nancy pulled away from Joe completely and turned to face both of the brothers, stumbling slightly.

Frank rushed forward to catch her. "Are you okay?"

Nancy nodded, feeling slightly lightheaded. "I may have had a little too much to drink tonight." She swatted Frank's hand away as she righted herself. "So, do either of you mind telling me why you burst through our door in a panic?"

Frank and Joe exchanged an uneasy glance with each other.

"No, absolutely not," Nancy said, shaking her head. "No more secrets."

Letting out an exasperated breath, Frank ran his hands through his hair. A trait Nancy knew he did when he was nervous. "I got a phone call from Wesley."

Nancy felt the color drain from her face as she stared at Frank in fear. "What?"

Frank quickly rushed forward and scooped her up into his arms. "It's okay, Nan. I'm not going to let that bastard anywhere near you."

"What did he say?" Nancy pressed herself further against Frank's chest, feeling safe and comforted by his touch.

"He was mostly just screwing with me. He made me think he was close to you, that he was about to take you again." His grip tightened on her when she stiffened against him. "What is it, Nan?"

Reluctantly pulling herself away from Frank, Nancy quickly made her way to their bedroom, only to return moments later with the box that was left for her earlier.

"What is that?" Joe asked, frowning.

Nancy handed it to Joe. "Take a look."

Frank stepped closer to them as Joe opened the box and spilled the contents on the coffee table. Joe picked up the preserved spider while Frank swiped up the note. Nancy didn't miss the way his expression darkened as he read Wesley's words.

"That was waiting for me when I got back from the doctor today," Nancy said, hugging herself tightly as she remembered the fear she felt when she opened the gift.

"What do you mean it was waiting for you?" Frank asked, handing the note to Joe.

Nancy looked up at Frank, unblinking. "It was on our bed."

It was now Frank's turn to turn pale. "What?"

"It was waiting for me when I got home," Nancy said with a shrug. "At first, I thought it was a gift from you. I've already talked to security and they let me look at the video. Wesley managed to knock out a maintenance man and steal his uniform, along with his master keys. That's how he was able to get inside."

"Did you call the police?" Joe asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because they would most likely just laugh at me and tell me I'm still too traumatized," Nancy answered. "It's how I found out you were lying about Wesley being in jail. I didn't answer the phone because I was too angry at the time."

"We're sorry for keeping it from you, Nan. You have to believe me," Frank pleaded, taking her up in his arms once again.

Nancy hugged him back, closing her eyes. "I do believe you, Frank. Just promise me there will be no more secrets."

"You have my word."

Letting out a huge yawn, Nancy hugged him tighter. "Thank you."

Joe returned the note and the spider to the box. "And on that note, I think I should head back home. I promised Vanessa to take her out to dinner tonight and she'll kill me if I'm late."

"Tell her I said hi," Nancy said, flashing him a small smile.

"I will." With one final wave, Joe turned and exited the apartment, leaving them alone.

"Are you hungry?" Frank asked, peering down at her as soon as the door shut behind Joe.

Nancy shook her head. "I just want to lie down with you."

"I would like that, too." Frank let go of her, only to take her face between his hands. "I really am sorry for keeping Wesley a secret from you."

"It's okay, Frank," Nancy said, softly pressing a kiss against his lips. "I don't want to fight anymore…"

Frank returned the kiss, softly at first before it grew more intense, almost as if he couldn't get enough of her as his tongue probed deeper into her mouth. Finally, he pulled away, both of them breathless. "What do you want to do, Nan?" Frank asked, his voice husky.

Nancy didn't even have to think about it. She knew what she wanted from Frank. It had been so long since they'd been together. Maybe it was partly due to the alcohol, but all of a sudden, she wanted him.

All of him.

"Take me to the bedroom, Frank…"

Frank didn't hesitate as he picked her up, kissing her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him tightly as he carried her to their bedroom. Their lips never broke apart even as he laid her gently down on the bed, his body covering hers completely. Nancy couldn't help but think about how they fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces.

The kissing grew more intense, their hands traveling over each other's bodies as if by their own volition. Soon, kissing wasn't enough—Nancy wanted to feel his naked body against hers. She wanted the two of them to become one.

Moving her hands down until she found the hem of his shirt, she pulled it up. Frank quickly got the message she was sending and helped her pull it up over his head. As their lips crashed against each other again, Frank tugged at her shirt and pulled it off in one fluid motion.

He broke away from her, his eyes glazed over with passion as he stared down at her. "Are you sure about this, Nan?"

"Yes…" Nancy said softly, desperately needing him to touch her again.

It was all that Frank needed to hear.

Soon, the rest of their clothes joined the shirts, nothing existing in the world except the two of them and the love they shared for each other.

* * *

"So, were you and Joe really investigating an insurance fraud case?" Nancy asked, tracing a heart on Frank's bare chest. She looked up at him, her eyes still glowing from their lovemaking.

Frank pulled her closer to his body, wanting her even closer to him. It was the first time they had really been together in three months. He was afraid if he let her go, it would have been nothing more than a dream. For the first time in a while, Nancy seemed more like her old self and it wasn't until that moment that he realized how much he missed her.

It was such a relief to come clean with her about Wesley. Now that she knew he was out there, she would be more wary of her surroundings. They both could be a little more cautious and he could protect her without having to lie to her about it.

Even though he promised her there would be no more secrets, he was hesitant to tell her about Ella's disappearance. He was afraid of what it would do to her, knowing that Wesley was still out there, inflicting terror upon innocent victims. He knew she would blame herself and carry the guilt around with her—he didn't want to witness that, especially when it wasn't her fault to begin with.

Nancy was a victim just as much as Ella now was.

"Frank?"

Frank glanced down at her as he ran his fingers softly through her hair. "We went to Madison to investigate a young woman's disappearance."

Nancy propped up on her elbow, her blue eyes wide. "Wesley?"

"It looks like he's responsible," Frank admitted. "We talked to the girl's friends and they said that she was meeting a man she had met on the Internet. After they described him, I showed them a picture of Wesley and they confirmed it was him."

"He's not going to stop," Nancy said as she lowered herself back down on the bed, laying her head on his chest.

"Nancy, I know what you're trying to do, and you can stop right now," Frank said, squeezing her shoulders. "This isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself. If anyone is to blame, then it's me."

"Frank, no…"

"I'm the one who let him get away," Frank admitted. "I never should have left him alone."

"You were worried about me."

"I could have let Joe go down by himself to save you."

Nancy turned her head to look up at him. "Would you have really done that?"

Frank looked down at her, smiling softly. There was no question he would have done the same thing again. Still, it did nothing to alleviate his own guilt. "I will always choose you, Nan. Every single time."

Leaning up, Nancy kissed him softly on the lips. "We'll figure this out, Frank."

"We will, Nan," Frank said, before returning the kiss. "I'm not going to let him have another shot at you. I swear with everything that I am, I will keep you safe."

* * *

**So, I originally imagined the fight to be so much worse than it was, but once the characters started talking to me, it ended up like that. And I have to say, I like it a lot better. And we now have resolution amongst our favorite trio!**

**I was so overwhelmed by the reviews for the previous chapter…seriously, you guys are amazing! Lady Emily (Welcome back, my friend! Anytime that Frank can punch the bad guy in the face is considered a win to me!), Michelle Gallichio (I love writing Wesley…I am so glad you are enjoying him!), bhar (Welcome! And you may or may not get your wish about Wesley…we shall see!), SC15 (Wesley's plan for them shall be revealed soon…and it's gonna be creepy!), Guest (Updating as fast as I can!), Caranath (I was pretty tame, wasn't I? I'm gonna have to do something about that…), catlover1033 (I love your ridiculous review…never be afraid to ramble on and on. It just shows me how excited you are!), FreshKicks (Thank you so much! He's only going to get creepier!), MinecraftDanny (Yay, you're alive! And thank you for such a wonderful compliment…I am so humbled and flattered!), max2013 (So, I'm sensing that you think I'm evil…), dolphingirl7 (Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my stories!), Xdaisy chainX (Thank you for your kind words! I really enjoyed that scene between Frank and Wesley myself!), Cupcake (Wesley is definitely not blond…I tend to gravitate towards dark hair, myself. Could explain why I love Frank so much!), and Jabba1 (Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying it!)**

**Seriously, do you know how much I love you guys?**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	8. Seven

**Seven**

* * *

"I thought you were coming to bed…"

Joe glanced up from his laptop at the sound of Vanessa's voice, smiling bashfully at her. He always felt bad when he was caught, hating that he allowed himself to get carried away and lose track of time when he was working on case. And no matter how many times he'd done it, Vanessa never complained—not once.

"How in the world did I get so lucky to have you as my girlfriend?" Joe asked, pushing away from the desk and pulling her into his lap.

Vanessa leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss, pulling away from him with a shrug. "I just had low standards, I guess," she joked.

"They had to be pretty low to end up with me." Taking her face in his hands, he brought her face closer and kissed her more deeply.

"When are you coming to bed?"

Joe glanced at the clock on his laptop, noting that it had been two hours since Vanessa had called it a night. He'd promised her he would be in bed right after her, but then he'd started working on the computer and time had gotten away.

"I'm sorry," Joe said with a groan. "I'm an ass. I know."

"I never said you were an ass, Joe."

Joe frowned, arching a brow. "I'm pretty sure you called me an ass just last week."

"Well, that's because you ate the last of the ice cream and left the empty container in the freezer." Vanessa fixed him with a mock glare. "Never come between a woman and her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, Joe Hardy."

"Are you saying you love ice cream more than me, Vanessa Bender?" Joe asked, pretending to be offended.

Vanessa smiled teasingly at him. "I'm saying you run a close second."

"Really?"

She seemed to think about that before she gave a firm nod. "Yes. I think that would be a good assessment."

Joe tried hard to fight against a smile, but it came through anyway. "It's certainly a good thing I love you so damn much."

"And I love you." Vanessa kissed him again before pulling away. "So, what are you working on?"

"Still trying to get a lead on Wesley." He nodded at the open laptop. "We at least confirmed that he's back to his game. He kidnapped a young woman two days ago in Madison, Wisconsin. Of course, we have no idea where the hell he may have her or if she's even alive."

"I hate that he's still out there…"

Joe hugged her closer. "I do, too. But for Frank, it's worse. He's blaming himself for letting Wesley get away in the first place."

"That's stupid."

"I've told him the same thing."

"He was worried about Nancy and rightly so. He can't blame himself for saving her life," Vanessa argued with a roll of her eyes.

"I think he'll continue to do it until we manage to catch Wesley," Joe said softly. "He won't ever be able to rest easy knowing the bastard is out there, stalking Nan."

"So, you think he'll go after again?"

"There's no doubt about it." Joe swallowed hard. "He actually managed to break into their apartment today and left a gift for her."

Vanessa gasped. "What kind of gift?"

"A preserved tarantula. And a note basically telling her he'll be back for her."

"Poor Nan…" Vanessa murmured. "Is she okay?"

Joe nodded. "She was angry when she realized we had lied to her about Wesley being in jail. Nancy and I even had it out, but we're good now." He chuckled softly. "I even managed to see some of the old Nancy tonight—it was something I really thought I would never see again."

"You just needed to give her some time, Joe."

"I know, and I realize that now." He let out a sigh. "I really shouldn't have avoided her these last few months. She needed me and I feel as if I let her down a little. But if I'm going to be completely honest with myself, I was scared of her."

"Scared of her?"

"Scared _for_ her, maybe."

"Did you tell her all of this?"

Joe nodded.

"Then everything will be fine," Vanessa assured him. "The important thing is that the two of you got everything out in the open. I know how much she means to you, Joe. She's always been like a sister to you."

"She is."

Taking his face in her delicate hands, Vanessa pressed a kiss against his lips before standing up. "I'm going back to bed. Don't stay up too much longer, okay?"

"I want to check one more thing and then I'll be there, Van."

Vanessa arched a brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest as if she didn't believe him.

Joe let out a chuckle. "I promise."

"I'm holding you to that." Turning, she walked back to the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.

Turning back to his computer, Joe clicked on the news article he had been reading before Vanessa came into the room. It was out of Indianapolis, reporting on another young woman who had gone missing. The police wasn't sure if she had been kidnapped or had wandered away since her car was found abandoned, no sign of her purse or cell phone.

It may be nothing, but Joe couldn't stop the feeling of dread in his stomach. It was worth investigating. Hell, anything was worth checking into at this point. He wasn't entirely sure what Wesley's plan was, but he knew it couldn't be any good. Wesley was manipulative and charming—a deadly combination.

Not to mention, he had years of experience from the FBI under his belt. He knew how to stay under the radar and he knew the ins and outs of a killer's mind, considering he had been one of the best profiles the Bureau had ever seen.

He needed to be stopped and Joe was willing to chase every single lead, no matter how insignificant, down until he sent the son of a bitch to Hell.

Right where he belonged.

* * *

For the first time in three months, Nancy actually felt refreshed and energized as she woke up the next morning. It had been the first night of good sleep that she had gotten, no nightmares waking her up in the middle of the night and stealing her sense of peace.

Nancy actually felt like herself.

Even with the headache and slight feelings of a hangover. Maybe drinking the entire bottle of wine had been a bad idea, but she would gladly take the consequences of it over and over again in order to feel as alive as she did at the moment.

Sitting up slowly, she noticed that the bed beside her was empty. Frowning, she wondered where Frank could be until she glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. Not only had she managed to actually get some sleep, but she'd also slept in. Nancy couldn't help the smile that slowly stretched across her face.

Throwing the covers off of her body, she shuffled into the kitchen to find Frank sitting at the bar with Joe, each drinking a cup of coffee. As soon as Frank saw her, he jumped up and quickly fixed her a cup, handing it to her as she sat down on the middle barstool.

"Look who decided to join the land of the living," Joe teased as he nudged her shoulder.

"Seriously?" Nancy asked as she took a sip of her coffee, letting out an appreciative sigh. Frank always managed to make it perfectly. "Still with the zombie jokes?"

"One thing you should know, Nan."

"What's that?"

"Zombie jokes will never get old."

Nancy chuckled despite herself, taking another sip of the coffee. "I can't believe I actually slept for so long."

"You needed it," Frank said, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "I, for one, was glad to see you finally get some sleep."

"Frank's right," Joe chimed in. "You really don't—"

Nancy turned her head to glare at Joe. "I swear, if you make another zombie joke, I will knock you off that stool, Joe Hardy."

Joe let out a hearty chuckle. "Yep, our Nancy is definitely making a comeback."

It was hard not to smile at Joe's words. Nancy felt a radiant warmth move throughout her body, making her shiver slightly at the unfamiliar sensation. It was like an old friend had come back to greet her, and she had to admit, she missed it.

"So, what are you doing here so early?" Nancy asked, bumping his arm with her elbow.

Joe exchanged a quick glance with Frank and Nancy didn't miss the subtle nod Frank gave him. They had some new information and they were debating on whether to share it with her or not. She wasn't going to give them an option. Wesley was after her—anything that had to do with him, she had the right to know.

No question.

"What is it?" she demanded, glaring between the two of them.

"There was another disappearance, this time in Indianapolis," Joe answered. "I don't know if it has anything to do with Wesley, but it also couldn't hurt to check it out."

Nancy nodded. "I agree."

"You don't have to go, Nancy," Frank said, almost hesitantly. "No one would blame you if you wanted to stay out of it."

"I'm not going to sit and hide anymore," Nancy said with a firm shake of her head. "Wesley may not realize it, but he seriously messed up by coming into my home. He wants me to play whatever game he has planned, he's got it. I'm in."

A smile lit up Joe's face. "Looks like Wesley's about to get a dose of the bitchy side of you."

Nancy couldn't even take offense to Joe's words because he was right. Wesley had no idea what was coming his way.

Frank couldn't help but feel sympathy with the man sitting before them.

They had arrived in Indianapolis a couple of hours ago, and after speaking with the detective in charge of Taylor Vaughn's disappearance, they'd made their way to the home she shared with her fiancé, Cameron Brooks. The detective didn't really seem to be convinced that Taylor had been kidnapped, since all of her personal items were missing from the Jeep that had been abandoned on the side of the road. They thought she had run away, feeling pressured and overwhelmed, considering she was to be married in two weeks.

To put it simply, they thought she'd gotten cold feel and felt embarrassed about it, thus resulting in her disappearance.

Frank knew differently. He didn't have any proof, but he felt it in his gut that she had been kidnapped.

And Wesley Levine was responsible for it.

"We're really sorry to have to bother you," Frank began, leaning forward on the sofa so his elbows were resting on his knees. "But we were wondering if you could tell us anything about Taylor."

Cam shook his head. "I don't know why you're bothering. The police seem to think she ran away."

"We're not the police."

"You're a couple of private detectives from Illinois—why the hell would you care about what happened here?"

"Because we think the police are wrong about Taylor," Joe said.

"Why?"

"Because you also think the same thing," Nancy said softly from where she was sitting beside Frank. He reached over and gripped her hand, squeezing it softly.

The fight seemed to deflate from Cam as he sank down onto the chair across from the couch that they were sitting on. He ran a hand through his hair before locking eyes with Nancy. "You're right. I know Taylor didn't run away—there's no way."

"How was your relationship with Taylor?" Frank asked.

"Was?" Cam frowned. "You make it sound as if you think she's dead."

"I'm sorry. That was very insensitive of me," Frank apologized. "How _is _your relationship with Taylor?"

"Amazing. We're still in as much love with each other as we were when we first met." Cam took in Frank and Nancy and nodded in their direction. "Just like the two of you are."

Frank felt himself blush slightly as he glanced at Nancy, seeing her cheeks were just as flushed. He could understand the kind of love that Cam spoke about because it was still the same way he felt about Nancy. After all these years, he still loved her as much—if not more—as they day he first met her.

"How long have you been with Taylor?" Nancy asked.

"Two years."

"And you're about to be married?"

Cam nodded. "In two weeks."

"Was she feeling stressed about the wedding?" Joe asked.

"Of course," Cam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What bride isn't stressed about their wedding? I'm sure that Nancy would agree with me."

Nancy cringed slightly, fiddling with her engagement ring. "We actually haven't even set a date yet."

"Oh."

"Other than the wedding, was Taylor feeling worried about anything else?" Frank asked, trying to take the spotlight off of Nancy. It wasn't that they haven't discussed setting a possible date for their wedding. But with what happened to Nancy, it kind of put all discussion on the backburner until she was better.

"Work, but she has a demanding job. It takes a lot out of her."

"What does she do?" Joe asked.

"She's an emergency room nurse," Cam answered. "Her hours are always so unpredictable."

"Did Taylor ever mention anything about feeling as if she was being watched or followed?" Frank asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Cam answered. "Taylor and I didn't have any secrets. We told each other everything."

Frank suppressed a sigh, feeling as if they weren't getting anywhere. Of course, it was hard when they had very little evidence and everything seemed to lean towards Taylor running away. Knowing that they weren't going to get anything else, Frank stood up and noticed Joe and Nancy do the same thing.

"You're going to look for Taylor, right?" Cam asked, looking at them with hope in his green eyes.

"We're going to try our best," Frank assured him.

The three detectives walked back to the car in silence. It wasn't until they pulled out of Taylor's driveway that anyone said anything.

"Maybe we were wrong about Taylor being tied to Wesley," Nancy said, staring out of her window as she traced a shape in the fog covering the window.

"Do you really think that?" Frank asked.

"I don't know…"

"We might as well face it," Joe spoke up from the backseat. "We're not going to find any evidence that Wesley was behind this."

"That's a pessimistic way to look at it," Frank said, glancing into his rearview mirror to look at his brother.

"No, that's a realistic way to look at it."

"Look, we may not have gotten the answers we were looking for," Nancy said, turning in her seat so she could see them both. "Hell, maybe we just _want_ it to be Wesley."

"Maybe," Frank said, though he remained doubtful.

That little voice inside his head was telling him that Wesley was responsible. And he wasn't anywhere near finished with what he had planned.

* * *

**I wrote this chapter feeling frustrated—not with the chapter, but with life in general. All I can say is it's a good thing Wesley wasn't in this chapter—I just may have had him kill someone…**

**That's not to say it isn't coming…because it is.**

**I would love to thank my lovely reviewers: Michelle Gallichio (You never know what Wesley has planned…), misslady92 (I couldn't leave our favorite trio at odds forever!), Caranath (I hate when I make grammatical mistakes, namely when I use the wrong spelling of a word…that frustrates me so much. And yes, I immediately corrected it!), Xdaisy chainX (Thank you so much! I'm happy you loved the argument!), SC15 (I am so glad you liked it! There was no way I couldn't have Nancy still scared of Wesley—that bastard is a psycho and if she wasn't scared, then it wouldn't be realistic, so thank you!), max2013 (I really feel I reined in my evilness for this chapter! That still doesn't get me out of it though, does it?), MinecraftDanny (No brussel sprouts necessary! I would never subject you to that kind of cruelty!), Cupcake (Yep, Frank and Nancy are definitely engaged), catlover1033 (I'm sorry for stressing you out about Nancy…forgive me?), Jabba1 (So glad you liked everything!), Lady Emily (Thank you! I'm glad I could warm your heart…you know I don't like Nancy and Joe at odds with each other!), and FreshKicks (Not creepy at all…I love him, too! I'm not sure if we should start to worry or not about that…). I love you guys!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	9. Eight

**Eight**

* * *

**Violence ahead. You have been warned.**

* * *

Ella bit back a sigh of frustration as Taylor let out another whimper, wishing the other girl would just be quiet. It would be different if she made the noise every now and then, but it had been constant ever since she had woken up an hour ago. It reminded Ella of a faucet with a slow leak, the drops of water sounding like the beat of a drum. Only this time, it was human cries, which was somehow even worse since Ella couldn't exactly grab a wrench and tighten it until it stopped.

Not that she blamed the other girl for being scared. Hell, Ella was afraid too, but she figured she had somehow become numb to it at this point. Maybe it was because she was used to being a captive, since she had spent two weeks with a deranged killer before she was found. The only difference now was that Ella knew there was no chance in hell she was getting out of this one alive.

No way in the world was she lucky enough to be given another chance of life. It was like tempting fate, and she knew there was only so long you could continue that without paying the price.

Pulling herself up on the mattress she had been laying on, Ella brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly as she took in the girl sitting in the cage next to her. She would have been pretty if not for the streaks of black mascara running down her face. She was dressed in scrubs and her hair was sticking out in all directions from her ponytail. If Ella had to guess, she was either going into or getting off of work when Wesley managed to grab her.

Ella wondered what her story was, knowing she had to have one in order to get his attention.

"You really should drink your water," Ella said softly, noticing that the tray of food and water sat untouched in the other girl's cage.

Taylor glanced at Ella briefly before breaking down into violent sobs that seemed to shake her entire slender frame.

Ella glanced nervously towards the stairs, wondering if Wesley could hear Taylor. She didn't want the other girl to get hurt, though she knew it was inevitable. It wasn't as if Wesley was keeping them there for decoration. "Please, you need to quiet down and keep calm. If you don't, he might come back down here."

That seemed to get Taylor's attention as she quickly quieted down her sobs, wiping at her face with her hands. A few minutes of blessed silence passed between them, giving Ella's headache a slight reprieve. She could almost close her eyes and take a nap, the silence was so peaceful and lulling.

"Where are we?" Taylor whispered.

Ella opened her eyes and moved to the opposite side of the cage so she was sitting closer to the other girl. "I'm not sure. I woke up in here, much like you did."

"Oh, God…"

"What's your name?"

"T-Taylor."

Ella gave her a friendly smile. "Hi, Taylor. My name is Ella. I would say it was nice to meet you, but…"

Taylor let out a choked laugh, giving her a watery smile. "How long have you been here?"

"A few days," Ella said with a shrug. "You really should try to eat and drink something. He won't bring you anything else until tomorrow."

"What does he want with us?"

_To kill us, _Ella thought, but kept that grim thought to herself. She was sure that Taylor was barely hanging onto her sanity as it was. All it would take was one nudge, and there would be no calming her down again. "I'm not sure of that either."

Taylor grabbed the bottle of water and slowly drank from it as she looked around the basement. Her eyes seemed to widen more and more as they traveled across the room, undoubtedly taking in the other empty cages and medical table that glinted menacingly in the dim light.

"Where are you from?" Ella asked, wanting to distract her.

"Boston," Taylor answered. "But I've lived in Indianapolis for the past few years."

"How do you like it compared to Boston?"

"It's not much different, but I like it." Taylor reached for a banana and slowly ate it. "What about you?"

"Madison—I've lived there my entire life."

"Ever thought about leaving?"

Ella shook her head. "No. I love it too much."

Taylor was silent for a few minutes as she seemed to stare at nothing, a faraway look in her eyes. Ella was about to ask her another question when Taylor suddenly stood up and ran to the cage, gripping the doors tightly as she shook them. "Let me out of here! Please! Just let me go!"

"Stop," Ella hissed, trying to reach through her cage to offer some kind of comfort to the distraught woman. "He's going to come down here if you don't stop!"

"Don't touch me!" Taylor yelled, pulling away from Ella's reach. "Let me out!"

Ella was about to say something else when the door opened with a creak and Wesley's slow footsteps descended down the staircase. Taylor continued to scream and cry, making Ella wish she would just shut up.

Wesley stopped in front of their cages, an amused smile on his face. "Now, now…what's all this racket about in here?" He turned his eyes to gaze at Ella. "Are we not making friends and playing nice?"

"Please," Taylor pleaded, reaching out to him. "Please, just let me go."

"Why would I want to do something like that?"

"My fiancé…he has to be wondering where I am."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," Wesley said with a smile. "In fact, I'm sure he's beside himself, wondering what could have made you run away, especially so close to your wedding day."

Ella's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the diamond engagement ring on Taylor's left hand. She instantly felt sick to her stomach, knowing there was no way Taylor would have that wedding of her dreams.

What sickened her more was that Taylor also seemed to realize it at the exact same time. Suddenly, she began screaming hysterically, her words not even making sense as she pulled desperately against the bars holding her prisoner.

Wesley rolled his eyes, reaching into his pocket to pull out a key. "If you can't keep quiet, Taylor, I'm going to have to cut out your tongue."

"Don't!" Ella yelled to be heard over Taylor's screams, desperate to get Wesley to focus on her.

Ignoring Ella, Wesley unlocked the door to Taylor's cage and pulled her out. Ella had to give the girl credit, she put up quite a fight as Wesley forced her to the table. Letting out a growl, Wesley delivered a savage backhand, stunning Taylor. Scooping her up into his arms, he put her on the table before strapping down her hands and feet.

"What are you going to do to her?" Ella asked, afraid.

"I already told you what I was going to do," Wesley answered with a smile.

Ella gasped loudly. "You're not seriously going to cut out her tongue?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Wesley asked as he brought over a small metal table filled with stainless steel surgical instruments.

"Yes, just leave her alone!"

Wesley chuckled. "I thought for sure you would tell me to let her go."

"I know there's no way in hell you're going to do that."

"And you would be correct."

Taylor let out a moan as she opened her eyes, immediately letting out another ear-piercing shriek as she struggled against the restraints.

Wesley sighed as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, looking back at Ella. "Tell me you're not tired of listening to that awful sound."

Ella winced as Taylor continued to scream, giving Wesley the answer he needed.

Picking up a scalpel from the tray, Wesley held it up as he inspected it. "Just think about how much quieter it will be once I remove that pesky little tongue."

Taylor instantly quieted down her screams as she seemed to realize he was telling her the truth. She looked up at Wesley with wide eyes, tears continuing to stream down her face. "Please…I'll be quiet, I promise."

Wesley shook his head as he looked down at her sadly. "I'm afraid I can't trust you, Taylor. You haven't given me any reason to believe you."

"Leave her alone!" Ella yelled, pulling against her own cage.

"Careful, Ella…or you'll be next."

Taylor began to sob softly as she desperately tried to pull against the straps holding her down. "I'll do anything. I swear…"

"I'll make it as slow and painful as I can." Wesley smiled down at her as he pulled a strap down across her head, tightening it so she couldn't move. Next, he put down the scalpel on the tray and picked up some kind of weird metal contraption.

Ella frowned, wondering what the device was for. She soon got her answer as Wesley inserted it into Taylor's mouth before turning a small ratchet on the side, until her mouth was forced wide open. Taylor could now no longer speak, but it didn't stop her from whimpering as Wesley turned around and picked up the scalpel once more.

"What did you put in her mouth?" Ella asked, unable to turn her eyes away. It was a morbid curiosity and one that she would likely regret.

"It's a surgical mouth gag," Wesley answered with a smile. "Dentists use it all the time. Of course, it's used for other things as well…"

Ella shuddered, not wanting to guess what else it could be used for.

Wesley reached into Taylor's mouth with a pair of forceps and extended her tongue as far out as it would go. He turned to look at Ella. "Make sure you pay close attention, Ella. This is what will also happen to you if you decide to misbehave."

Taylor let out a pitiful sound, pulling against her restraints, making Ella wish there was something she could do to help her. But there was nothing, not with her locked in a cage. She was helpless to do anything to help the unfortunate woman on the table.

Even though Taylor couldn't speak, Ella would never forget the sound of Taylor's strangled screams as Wesley began to cut out her tongue out. It would haunt her for the rest of her life, which if she was lucky, wouldn't be for much longer. Ella couldn't stop the sobs that wracked her body, hugging herself tightly as she tried to tear her eyes away from the horrible sight. More than anything, she wanted to close her eyes, but for some unknown reason, they remained open and glued to what was happening across the room.

Finally, after a few more minutes, Wesley stood up to his full height, holding the tongue up proudly as if it was a trophy. Though Ella tried to fight the bile rising up her throat, she couldn't stop herself from retching in the small toilet that was in the cage with her. She kept throwing up until there was nothing left her in stomach but a throbbing ache.

"Have some water," Wesley's soft voice said from beside her.

Ella reached blindly for the water, only to be met with something wet and slimy. Jerking her eyes open, she let out of a blood-curdling scream as she saw the tongue sitting in Wesley's outstretched hand.

_She had just touched a friggin' tongue! A human tongue, for God's sake!_

"What's wrong, Ella?" Wesley asked, frowning as he pulled the offensive item away. "You seemed very interested as I was cutting it out of her mouth. I thought you would have wanted to see it."

"You're sick…" Ella said, choking on a sob.

"I suppose I am," Wesley said thoughtfully as he took a step back from her cage.

Ella glanced past him to see Taylor was still conscious, choking on her own blood as she tried to turn her head to the side, but the strap across it was hindering her efforts.

"She's choking," Ella said softly.

"Yes, I believe she is," Wesley agreed. "Should I do something about it?"

"What the hell do you think?"

Wesley's blue eyes flashed angrily before he slowly smiled. "Yes, I suppose I should do something to ease her discomfort."

Before Ella could figure out what he was going to do, Wesley took the scalpel and thrust it across Taylor's throat, silencing any other sound she could have made. Ella watched in horror as the other girl's blood dripped onto the floor, covering the cement in crimson.

"Oh, God…" Ella said, holding her hand over her mouth in horror.

"I put her out of her misery," Wesley said with a shrug. "Of course, this now means that I have to find someone to take her place."

"No…"

"Oh, yes." Wesley put the tongue down on the surgical tray before turning back to Taylor's chest and cutting away her top.

"What are you doing?"

"She has something that I need." Making a slow incision into her chest cavity, Wesley worked silently for a few minutes, using his body to block what he was doing. Finally, he straightened up, holding something bloody in his hand.

"Her heart…" Ella whispered when she noticed what he was holding.

"Precisely." Taking two jars from a shelf, he put each of the organs in their own container. Ella noticed it was filled with a clear liquid. "It would be best that you warn the others what will happen to them if they misbehave, Ella."

"Others?"

"Of course," Wesley said with a chuckle. "You don't think I have all these cages here for nothing, do you?"

Ella paled at the implication of his words. He wasn't done, not by a long shot. There would be others here with her, and likely, they would meet the same fate as Taylor. She couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't killed her yet.

"You're not going to leave Taylor here, are you?"

"For a while. I want it to sink in for you, Ella. I want you to take what you've seen and learn from it." He pulled off his gloves, tossing them into a trash can as he reached over and slid Taylor's engagement ring off her finger. "Do you think you can do that, Ella?"

"Yes…"

"That's a good girl," Wesley said approvingly.

Taking the two jars with him, Wesley made his way back up the staircase, closing Ella up once more. Once she was alone, she finally allowed herself to break down and cry. Not only at the heinous death of Taylor, but for herself as well.

She had to face the truth—she wasn't getting out of here alive.

* * *

Putting down the jars on the kitchen counter, Wesley went over to the sink to wash the little bit of blood that had gotten on his hands. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was to be dirty. Even a smudge of dirt would cause him great distress. He supposed it had something to do with his parents, always instilling in him to take the time and effort to look his best.

Some habits just never seemed to die.

Once he dried his hands, he picked up the jars and walked to his study where a Styrofoam cooler box was waiting. He made quick work packing up the precious cargo, taking care to make sure it was protected from any possible accidents. It would be a shame for the jars to break before they reached their final destination.

He could only imagine the look on Nancy's face when she opened her up her latest present. He knew sending another spider to her would only seem redundant—he wanted to keep her guessing, never knowing what he might surprise her with next.

Once he sealed the box, he wrote out her address, knowing he couldn't risk going into her apartment once again. No doubt, security had been alerted to his presence. Not to mention, the Hardy brothers would be keeping a closer eye on her, especially after the phone call with Frank.

Reaching into his desk drawer, he pulled out the pair of panties he'd taken from her drawer, holding it tightly as he rubbed them against his cheek. Wesley knew he couldn't wait much longer to take her. He would make sure that she wore the lacy undergarments, imagining how her slender body looked in them.

Sure, Ella managed to keep him entertained, but she was just a substitute for who he really wanted.

But for now, the gifts would have to do.

* * *

**I know you were beginning to worry about me since Wesley hadn't killed anyone so far. And since I'm evil, you know I had to make the first one gruesome…and the end of the chapter creepy as hell.**

**Thank you to all of the wonderful reviewers: max2013 (Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!), Michelle Gallichio (Wesley also kills people who annoy him…and I would never kill the Hardys!), Stork Hardy (Welcome! I am so happy you love it! Sorry you've been without the internet—I couldn't make if it happened to me!), MinecraftDanny (Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me!), Caranath (Get well already! I miss the wit and snark!), SC15 (Nancy is back, especially when she can banter with Joe!), Cupcake (Glad you loved the bitchy comment…gotta love Joe!), catlover1033 (Three weeks…that's so long to wait! I'll only forgive you if you enjoy yourself!), FreshKicks (Thank you! Glad you like it!), and misslady92 (There won't be any mistakes from Wesley for quite a while…)**

**I love you guys so much!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	10. Nine

**Nine**

* * *

Glancing at the clock, Nancy saw she only had an hour before she had to be at her next appointment with Doctor McHan. Part of her was tempted to just call the office and cancel it, but she didn't think that would be the best idea. Namely, because the psychologist seemed to think they were just breaking the surface with Nancy's problem.

No way in hell was she going to believe that Nancy had been cured overnight. No one could be that lucky.

Was she better than she had been since her first appointment?

Definitely.

There was no denying that she could feel a little bit of her old self making its comeback appearance. Did she still have a long road to go before she reclaimed herself again?

Absolutely.

She just had to suck it up and keep going to her appointments. Or maybe just one more couldn't hurt. That would at least make it look like she was putting in the effort.

The truth was, she didn't think any amount of sitting in a stuffy chair was going to make her any better. No, the only thing that would make her feel better was getting out there and putting a stop to Wesley before he actually managed to kill again. She had to believe that he hadn't crossed that line yet.

There still had to be hope, even if it was an ounce of hope. It was still there and Nancy would cling to it as if it was her last lifeline. The missing girls' lives depended on that kind of hope and she wasn't going to stop until she had her answers.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to your appointment?" Frank asked, walking into the kitchen. He was dressed for the day in a pair of jeans with a long sleeve red shirt, his hair damp from the shower he'd just finished.

Nancy let out a sigh, putting her chin in her hand as she leaned on the bar. "I still have a little more time."

"Having second thoughts?"

"No. I know it wouldn't look good if I didn't go." She looked up so she could meet his deep brown eyes. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to explain my sudden one-eighty I've made."

Frank frowned as he leaned against the other side of the bar so he was eye-level with her. "What do you mean?"

"She's going to see a noticeable change in me, Frank."

"It's been pretty obvious," Frank agreed.

"Exactly. No way in hell is she going to believe it was just because of a single one hour session." Nancy let out another sigh as she sat back in her chair. "And it's not as if I can tell her the truth about it. As soon as I tell her the psycho killer who nearly killed me three months ago has come back and started leaving me gifts, she'll call the police."

"And we don't really need that right now."

"No. The less Wesley thinks we're after him, the better chance of him screwing up."

Frank smiled at her, saying nothing.

"What?" Nancy asked, confused by the sudden expression. Not that she didn't love the way Frank smiled at her. It had just been so long since she'd seen a genuine one lighting up his face—three months to be exact.

Pushing away from the bar, Frank walked around so he was standing next to Nancy. Grabbing the chair, he spun it around until she was facing him before cupping her face in his hands. "You're really coming back to me, aren't you?"

Nancy felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long…"

"Don't be sorry, Nan. I'm just happy to see it," Frank said softly, as he rubbed his thumbs against her cheeks. "You can take as long as you need. You know I'll be here however long it takes. I'm not going anywhere."

Swallowing hard against the sudden lump in her throat, Nancy brought up her hands so she was grasping his. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve someone as great as Frank. "I love you, Frank."

Frank dipped his head down and kissed her softly on the lips, lingering there for a few moments before leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you, too."

"Will you come with me?"

"To your appointment?"

Nancy nodded.

Frank seemed taken aback and touched all at the same time. "Are you sure you want me there, Nan?"

"I am."

A stunning smile stretched across his handsome face. "Thank you. This really means a lot to me, Nan, that you trust me enough to be there with you."

"Of course I trust you, Frank." Nancy's eyes widened slightly as stab of fear went through her. Had Frank doubted her trust in him? All this time, was she hurting him by keeping him away and not confiding in him? "I'm so sorry if I ever did anything to make you believe I didn't trust you."

"I didn't say that…"

"But you've been thinking about it, right?" Nancy pushed away from him slightly so she could look into his brown eyes—eyes that were full of love and a trace of hurt. It was hard to see, but she knew she saw it there. "Frank, tell me the truth. I'm not going to get upset."

Frank let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'll admit that the thought crossed my mind."

"Frank…"

"I'm not wanting to make you feel horrible, Nan. I know you were dealing with a lot and I know that you thought you were protecting me by pushing me away."

"You knew that?"

"I've known you for years. I know every single one of your idiosyncrasies. There is nothing about you that I don't know, Nancy Drew."

A corner of Nancy's mouth turned up. "That almost makes you sound like a stalker. I'm afraid I already have my fill of one of those without adding you to the list."

"Don't joke about him, Nan."

Nancy shrugged as she got up from her seat and grabbed her purse and keys. "If you're coming with me, we need to go. Otherwise, we're going to be late."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Giving her another kiss, Frank grabbed the keys out of her hand and ushered her out the door.

* * *

Doctor McHan was waiting in the lobby for her when Nancy and Frank walked in. Nancy cringed slightly as she looked at the clock hanging on the wall, seeing that she was five minutes late.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it, Nancy," Anna said, frowning slightly.

"Sorry," Nancy said with a sheepish smile. "We got stuck in traffic."

"We?" Anna asked, her eyes moving over to Frank. "I take it you're the fiancé who begged her to come see me."

"Excuse me," Frank asked, shooting Nancy a confused look.

"She doesn't mean anything by it, Frank," Nancy assured him, before pushing him towards one of the vacant chairs in the waiting room. "I'll only be an hour."

"Actually," Anna began, turning her attention back to Nancy. "If you don't mind, I would really like for him to join us."

"Is that normal?"

"It's not unheard of," Anna said. "Would you rather he not join us?"

Nancy glanced back at Frank, knowing he would agree with whatever she decided. But this was her chance to show him that she did trust him, that she never doubted his trust for even a second. "I want him to come."

"Good," Anna said with a smile. "Follow me, please."

Frank pulled Nancy's hand, making her stop before they could follow the doctor into her office. "Are you sure about this, Nan?"

Nancy nodded, flashing him a smile. "I want you to come with me, Frank."

"Okay," Frank said, giving her a relieved smile. "But, if at any point, you want me to leave, just let me know. Promise me?"

"I promise."

Gripping his hand a little tighter, Nancy pulled him into Anna's office where he closed the door behind them. Then, they each took a seat in front of Anna's desk, where she was watching them closely.

"How are you feeling today, Nancy?" Anna began, slipping on her glasses.

"I'm doing well."

"You seem to be doing a lot better than you were a couple of days ago when you came to see me."

"I am."

"What brought on the sudden change?"

Nancy traded a surreptitious glance with Frank. "I guess I finally got the wake-up call I was looking for."

"What happened?"

"I think talking to you the other day finally opened up a door for me," Nancy admitted, turning her eyes back to Anna. It was only partly the truth, but no way in hell was she about to bring up Wesley's latest stunt. "I finally realized what I was doing to myself and others by pushing away."

"I'm glad that it helped you, Nancy." Anna turned her curious eyes to Frank. "What about you, Frank?"

"What about me?" Frank asked.

"Have you noticed the change in Nancy?"

"Of course I have. You would have to be blind not to notice."

"And what you do you think of it?"

Frank frowned as he glanced back and forth between Nancy and Anna. "I thought this appointment was for Nancy."

"It is," Anna said with a nod. "But that doesn't mean I'm not interested for your input as well since you were the one to convince Nancy to finally seek help."

Frank squirmed in his seat and Nancy gave his hand a squeeze. "It's okay, Frank."

"Why were you pushing for Nancy to get some help, Frank?"

"Because she wasn't getting any better," Frank admitted. "I was scared of what would happen to her if she continued to keep everything bottled up."

"Scared how?"

Frank looked down at his lap, refusing to look at Nancy. "I thought she would eventually get herself committed."

Nancy's eyes widened, but she kept her mouth shut at Frank's admission. She never understood how truly afraid he was for her.

"Did you think she was going to harm herself?" Anna pressed on.

"No." Frank seemed shocked that the doctor would even ask that question. Nancy couldn't really fault her for it—it was perfectly valid. Not that Nancy would ever harm herself, but it was a serious concern to have.

"Why not?"

"Because Nancy would never do anything like that."

"You're certain of that?"

"Of course." Before Anna could ask him another question, his cell phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, Frank pulled it out and glanced at the screen. "If you'll excuse me, I need to take this."

"Who is it?" Nancy asked, frowning as Frank stood up.

"It's Joe," Frank answered, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "I'll be right back."

Nancy watched as Frank walked out of the office, talking softly on his phone, before turning around to see Anna watching her.

"The two of you seem to have a very strong relationship," Anna observed.

"The best," Nancy answered. "We're best friends."

"That's good to have that kind of support at home, Nancy. Frank seems to truly care for your wellbeing."

"He does."

"So, what's the real reason for your turnaround?" Anna asked, leaning forward to rest her hands on her desk as she studied Nancy.

"What do you mean?"

"Something tells me that it simply couldn't be from our session the other day. Did something happen?"

Nancy swallowed nervously, wondering if the doctor could tell that she had been lying earlier. "Why would you think that?"

Anna frowned, taking off her glasses. "I've been doing this for years, Nancy. I've never had anyone make such an improvement in a matter of days."

Nancy shrugged. "I'm not like most people."

"Has Agent Levine been in contact with you?"

"What would make you think that?" Nancy asked, wondering if the doctor knew that Wesley wasn't in jail. "Last I heard, he was in jail awaiting trial. It's not like he could do anything to me from there."

Anna didn't get the chance to answer as Frank came back into the office, a grim expression on his face. Nancy immediately stood up, know that something had to be wrong. "What is it, Frank?"

"I need to go check something out with Joe."

"What is it?"

Frank glanced quickly at Anna before returning his gaze to Nancy. "I'd rather not talk about it here. I don't want to leave until I make sure you get back home safely, though."

Anna stood up from her chair, smiling. "It's okay. Our appointment was coming to an end, anyway." She walked over to Nancy and Frank. "We can pick this back up next week, okay?"

"Yeah," Nancy said, grabbing up her purse. "Sounds good."

"It was very nice to meet you, Frank," Anna said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

Frank took her hand in his and shook. "You too, Doctor McHan."

"Call me anytime if you need to talk, Nancy," Anna said, following them out into the lobby.

"I will, thank you," Nancy said. She followed Frank out the door and to their car, not saying a word until they were inside. "What's going on, Frank?"

Frank let out a sigh as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Joe got a call from the Indianapolis PD. They found a woman's body and they think it could be Taylor Vaughn's. They won't know for sure until they confirm her identity."

"Oh, my God," Nancy whispered, holding a hand up to her mouth. "Wesley?"

"We don't know," Frank admitted. "Joe and I are going to head over to see what we can find out."

"I'm going with you."

"I would rather you didn't, Nancy."

"Why not?"

"Because from what Joe gathered from the police, it wasn't good."

Nancy scoffed. "Frank, you can't keep me away from this. If it's Wesley, then I have a right to know. It's me that he's interested in."

"Which is precisely the reason I would rather you stay back at the apartment."

"The very apartment that he broke into a couple of days ago," Nancy argued.

Frank opened his mouth to say something, stopping when he seemed to realize that she was correct. Shaking his head, his gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as he pulled into their apartment complex and parked the car. "Nancy, I'm not trying to keep you out of this. We don't have any proof that this could be Taylor Vaughn, or that Wesley is behind it. Please, just let me and Joe handle this."

"Frank…"

"Please, Nan?" Frank picked up her hand and kissed it softly. "Just let us look into it."

Sighing, Nancy reluctantly gave in with a nod of her head. "Fine. But if there's even a hint of Wesley being responsible, you better tell me."

"You have my word." He leaned over in his seat to give her a kiss. "You want me to walk you up to the apartment?"

"No, I'm good." Nancy grabbed her purse and opened the door. "Let me know when you get there, okay?"

"I will."

Slamming the door behind her, Nancy walked into the lobby of the apartment complex, giving a wave to the young woman behind the desk. The girl waved back and Nancy walked towards the bank of elevators.

"Oh, Miss Drew!"

Nancy turned to see the girl hurrying towards her with a white Styrofoam box in her hands. "This came for you in the mail, but I signed for it since it wouldn't fit in your box."

"Thank you," Nancy said, taking the box and getting into the elevator before the doors could close. Pressing the button for her floor, Nancy wondered what could possibly be in the box as she pulled her keys out of her purse.

As soon as she unlocked her door, she threw her purse and keys on the counter, bringing the box with her into the kitchen so she could grab a knife to cut through the tape sealing it shut. After a few moments, she finally cut enough of the tape away so she could open the box.

At the very top, sitting on a piece of black felt fabric was a sparkling engagement ring—a silver band with a large diamond, surround by about ten smaller diamonds. Nancy frowned, thinking for sure she had gotten a delivery meant for someone else. Picking the lid up, she double checked the address written on there, confirming that it was her address.

Setting the ring to the side, Nancy took the felt out of the box, feeling a sudden blast of cold air the further she dug into the box. Dry ice rose out of the interior, momentarily blinding her as she waved her hand to clear it away. As soon as it cleared enough for her to see inside, she felt her stomach lurch before she was running to the sink, her breakfast making a comeback as she vomited.

There was no way she was really seeing what she thought she'd seen inside the box. She was just imagining it.

She had to be.

Grabbing a cup, Nancy rinsed the remaining traces of vomit out of her mouth, before grabbing a towel and wiping her face. Taking a deep breath, she returned to the box and reached in, pulling out the items that made her sick.

Once again, her stomach gave a violent lurch but she somehow managed to push it down as she placed the two chilled mason jars on the counter. There was no denying what was in them, bringing back vivid memories of the jars back in Wesley's basement during Halloween.

She was looking at a human heart and tongue.

And if she had to guess, they either belonged to Taylor Vaughn or Ella Jacobs.

Or both.

* * *

**So, the previous chapter was a little rough, but I did warn you guys that it was going to be much darker than **_**Spider**_**. I'm not holding back on this one at all, and if there is a chance that it has to fall under an M rating, I will let you know.**

**I would love to thank everyone for their reviews: Michelle Gallichio (You really should try your hand at writing. You'll never know if you don't take the chance!), max2013 (I hope that was a compliment because that's what I was aiming for…), MarvelAsh (Welcome! And thank you so much for your wonderful compliments…and I'm sorry if I gave you nightmares. Unfortunately, there are plenty more of those to come), samuel.j.1993 (I actually do enjoy writing gory scenes like that, which is funny because I refuse to watch any horror movies whatsoever.), Xdaisy chainX (Wesley is definitely cuckoo for cocoa puffs…and he's only going to get worse), Caranath (You're feeling better! YAY! Best advice would be not to eat or drink anything for a few hours after you read one of my chapters. And if this diet of yours works, let me know because I want in on it myself!), MinecraftDanny (Updating as quickly as I can!), FreshKicks (Thank you so much! I haven't actually watched **_**Criminal Minds**_** in a few years, but I know the kinds of deaths they show on there. I am extremely flattered that you're ranking my death scene with them!), Cupcake (Let's just say I plan to go pretty far with this one…), Jabba1 (It was pretty intense to write as well. As much as you guys are freaking out as you read it, I'm having the same reaction as I write it), misslady92 (Wesley is pure evil indeed…no other word for him), SC15 (All will definitely be revealed, she says with an evil laugh…), and Lady Emily (It was icky to write…I was cringing the entire time as I wrote it!).**

**You guys rock!**

**I especially have to thank Lady Emily again for staying up and allowing me to rant about what I want to happen. You are such a wonderful sounding board and support system! I couldn't do it without you!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	11. Ten

**Ten**

* * *

Frank was nervous about leaving Nancy alone, every fiber of his being screaming at him to turn around and put her back inside the car. It didn't matter that Joe had warned him about the condition of the body that was found. Sure, he wanted to keep Nancy away from that, but at the same time, he knew she had been faced with it before.

It was just a part of their job.

But if there was even the possibility of Wesley being behind this, he wanted to keep Nancy as far away from him as possible. That's not saying that the killer couldn't just jump out of the shadows and grab her at any time. Frank knew that was possible. Wesley had been an FBI agent for years, he knew his way around. Frank was sure that even though he was now a known murdered, he still had some connections.

It was one thing you learned in the business—some connections still held together, no matter the circumstances. It was why some of the best criminals were able to stay off the radar for so long. And why a lot of them were a pain in the ass to catch.

Been there, done that many times.

Instead of turning the car around and heading back to the apartment, Frank continued to their office that was just a few blocks away. The sooner he picked up Joe and they got to Indianapolis, the sooner that he could get back to Nancy. She would be okay. He had to believe that she would be okay.

Besides, he knew if there was a problem, she would call.

* * *

Nancy leaned back against the counter, staring at the eerie contents in the mason jars, unable to takes her eyes off of them. She wasn't sure what Wesley was hoping to attempt, what game he was trying to play. And while a huge part of her was scared to death of what he was doing, she was also angry.

Angry that he had taken the life of another woman. Angry that he had ripped another family apart. Angry that he was still able to instill fear into everyone.

But most of all she was angry that he was toying with her, making her wonder when he would finally strike out against her. Part of her wished he would just get it over with already. There was no point in dragging any other innocents into his twisted little game. If he wanted her, then he needed to come after her.

She was tired of waiting.

It was time to end this.

Chewing on her thumbnail, she seriously thought about calling the police. She knew it was the right thing to do considering the evidence pointed to another murder victim. She couldn't keep hiding what was happening—she was no longer the only target. The public deserved to know there was a monster on the loose, even though no one in the immediate area that had been attacked.

That didn't mean there wouldn't be, though.

Pushing away from the counter, Nancy grabbed up her cell phone and dialed the number she knew by heart, connecting directly to Chief McGinnis.

"_Well, here's a voice that I haven't heard for a while,"_ Chief McGinnis said as way of greeting.

Nancy felt a smile tug at her lips before it disappeared. She hadn't spoke with the chief of the River Heights Police Department since she'd seen him after she'd woken up in the hospital. Usually, she talked to him at least two or three times a week, whether it was about a case she and the Hardys were working on or just catching up on the latest news.

"Hey, Chief."

"_How are you, Nancy?"_

"I'm okay…"

Chief McGinnis instantly clued in on the hesitation of her voice. Nancy should have known better—he'd always been good at reading her, even by the tone of her voice. _"What's going on, Nancy?"_

Nancy took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her eyes traveled to the grisly package she'd received. "I have something here that you might want to take a look at. I'm at my apartment."

"_What is it?"_

"Let's just say that I have good reason to believe that Wesley Levine is back."

* * *

"So, did the Indianapolis police tell you anything over the phone?" Frank asked as he drove across the Indiana state line, the large sign welcoming them to "The Hoosier State".

Joe leaned forward in his seat as he stretched his back, his body stiff from being in the same position for a while. As soon as Frank had picked him up, they immediately set off towards the latest crime scene, hoping there would be some answers. "They didn't really tell me much. They knew we had an interest in Taylor's disappearance, so I'd told them to call us if anything happened."

"We don't know if it's Taylor that they found?"

"No. They're waiting to get the body back at the morgue before they'll give a positive identification."

"Sounds reasonable," Frank said with a nod. "I just hope the police were right before, saying that Taylor was a runaway. I would hate it for Cam if it turned out to be her."

"Me too," Joe agreed, but he also didn't want some other family to be torn apart from a senseless murder. They'd seen more of their share of that throughout their investigations. It was never easy to watch, especially when they were the ones to have to deliver the news.

The rest of the ride was made in companionable silence, each brother lost in their own thoughts as the car ate up miles. Soon, they were welcomed by flashing red and blue lights, the road ahead of them blocked to traffic both ways. A convoy of police cars, an ambulance, coroner van and reporters occupied any available spot that would get them closer to the chaos unfolding. Yellow crime scene tape blocked off an area to the right, a group of officers looking at something lying on the ground.

Getting out of their vehicle, the brothers made their way to the detective they had met when they when they arrived in Indianapolis a couple of days ago. Breaking away from the crowd, Detective Huey Sanders held the tape up so the Hardys could step under it.

"Where's your other partner?" Huey asked as he led the way to where the body was lying, covered by a white sheet.

"She stayed back," Frank answered.

Huey nodded. "It's probably for the best."

"What happened?" Joe asked as they came to a stop by the body. The detective didn't make any indication to move it, so they just stood there studying each other.

"We got a call this morning from a passing motorist, saying they thought they saw a dead body lying in the ditch." Huey nodded to the white sheet. "When the first responding officer got here, this is what they found."

"Can we see the body, Detective?"

Huey nodded and walked a little closer to the body so he could lift the sheet up. "I'll warn you right now, it's pretty gruesome."

Frank and Joe exchanged a look with each other before moving closer so they could get a better look. Joe instantly felt bile rise in the back of his throat as he took in the woman's appearance. Dried blood covered the bottom half of her face and neck where there was a cut so deep, you could almost see bone. There was also a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should be. Lesions and dark bruising surrounded her wrists not to mention across the top of her forehead.

"What happened to her?" Joe asked, holding the back of his hand over his mouth. He didn't dare try to take a deep breath, the stench of decay overwhelming.

"Based on a preliminary examination, her throat was slit and her heart was removed from her chest," Huey said grimly. "But that's not the worst part."

"There's something worse than this?" Frank asked, the surprise evident in his voice. Joe noticed that his brother was still staring at the woman's body, almost as if he couldn't turn his eyes away.

Huey nodded, unable to mask the disgust on his face. "Her tongue was cut out."

"What?" Joe asked, sure he had heard the detective wrong.

"The sick son of a bitch took her tongue," Huey repeated. "We won't know until the coroner gets her on the table if it was before or after death."

Joe turned away and took a few steps away, desperately needing fresh air after what the detective said. He couldn't even fathom someone being alive as their tongue was cut out of their mouth. It was sickening and barbaric, something that might be excusable during the Medieval period.

Not now.

"You okay?" Frank asked softly, joining him.

"No, Frank. I'm not," Joe answered. "And I know you're not, either. This isn't something we should be dealing with, Frank. We're supposed to be investigating insurance fraud and embezzlement cases. Not something as sick as this."

"Yeah…"

Joe shook his head as he walked back to their car. He didn't feel like standing there anymore, having everyone stare at him. The groups of reporters were practically salivating as they tried to gather any information they could, yelling at the brothers as they walked by. Joe wasn't going to give them anything.

They didn't need the nightmares that would surely plague him for days to come.

"Detective Sanders wants us to meet him at the morgue. They're leaving with the body now," Frank said as he got into the driver's seat and turned them around to head back the way they came.

Joe nodded his agreement, but said nothing.

* * *

"When did you receive the package?" Chief McGinnis asked as soon as they had taken a seat in his office. It was still the same as Nancy remembered it—the same worn furniture cluttered by piles of papers, photos and awards gracing the wall behind his large secondhand oak desk. The laminate tiles that were once white, was now a muddy brown color from years of people walking in and out of the office.

"It was in the mail today," Nancy answered, focusing her attention on the man that she had always looked to as her second father. He'd known her since she was a small child, having worked on cases with her father, Carson Drew. He'd watched her grow up and got her out of more trouble than she cared to admit.

For the past couple of hours, since she got off the phone with the chief, her apartment had been swarmed with police and forensics, gathering what evidence they could. Nancy knew no matter how hard they searched, they wouldn't find anything to lead them to Wesley. But she had allowed her home to be searched, hoping there wouldn't be any other surprises that she was unaware of.

So far, she'd been lucky. She just hoped that luck continued.

"And this wasn't the first thing you've received?"

"No. I got the other box your team found a few days ago. It was sitting on my bed when I got home from…some errands." Nancy didn't want to admit to her mentor that she'd finally given in to see a therapist. It wasn't that she was afraid of the chief judging her because she knew he would never do that. She just didn't want to admit her weakness.

"It was sitting on your bed?"

Nancy nodded.

Chief McGinnis let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, fixing her with a disappointed glare. "Nancy, why didn't you call us then?"

"Because Frank, Joe and I wanted to handle it on our own," Nancy admitted. "We didn't want to get you involved if it turned out to be nothing."

"Nothing? You think this is nothing?" Chief McGinnis blew out a breath, running a hand through his thinning salt and pepper hair. "Nancy, you know as well as I do that Agent Levine is still on the loose."

"Not until a couple of days ago…" Nancy muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't know he was still out there until a couple of days ago. Everyone kept that little tidbit of information from me because they thought they were protecting me." Anger flashed through Nancy's eyes as she narrowed them at the chief. "Including you."

Chief McGinnis seemed momentarily shocked by her outburst, but quickly recovered. "I thought the boys had told you."

"That's not an excuse and you know it."

"No, it's not. I should have said something to you, considering what he did to you."

"You're right," Nancy said, feeling some of her anger fade away. She didn't want to be angry anymore, especially not with her mentor. She'd already forgiven Frank and Joe for their betrayal, and she owed the same courtesy to him. "I'm sorry…things have been kind of stressful lately. I didn't mean to lash out at you, Chief."

"It's okay, Nancy. No one could exactly fault you for your reaction."

"So, what happens now?"

Chief McGinnis leaned forward in his chair, forming a steeple with his hands. "Well, right now we start sending patrols out to your neighborhood and keep an eye out for Agent Levine."

"Do you really think he would be stupid enough to show up again?"

"When it comes to you, yes."

"Thanks."

"The man is clearly obsessed with you, Nancy, and presumably upset that you managed to get away from him the first time. The FBI hasn't had any luck tracking him down—he's pretty much managed to drop off of every radar there is."

"I don't want to be followed twenty-four-seven," Nancy said with a sigh. "You and I both know you don't have the manpower for that."

"You're right, and they won't be following you," McGinnis said. "At least, not until Agent Levine actually tries to do something."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen."

"I agree." Chief McGinnis looked up as the door to the office opened, an officer sticking his head in. "What is it, Walters?"

"We just got a call from the Indianapolis Police Department," Walter began, shooting Nancy a quick look before returning his attention to his superior. "They found a woman's body there."

"That's where Frank and Joe were heading," Nancy said.

Chief McGinnis glared at the rookie officer. "Why would we be concerned about a body that was found in Indiana, Walters?"

"Because, according to the detective in charge, the woman was missing her heart and tongue."

* * *

By the time that Nancy got out of the River Heights Police Department, it was nearing eight o'clock. She was exhausted, not to mention starving, since she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast only to throw it back up when she'd opened the package from Wesley. Frank had left a message on her phone earlier, saying that he and Joe were sticking around Indianapolis for a little longer and they wouldn't be back until later that night.

He'd seemed hesitant about that, especially after Nancy had called him to tell him about the heart and the tongue. He'd wanted to rush back immediately, but she had convinced him to stay there until they were finished with their investigation, since she now had the police aware of what was going on. That had seemed to alleviate some of his fears and Nancy was grateful for that. The last thing she needed on top of police detail was an overprotective Frank Hardy.

Nancy figured she would just grab some Chinese takeout and bring it back to their apartment, so the brothers could at least have something to eat when they got in. It was too late to cook anything, and to be honest, Nancy wanted to avoid the kitchen for as long as she could.

At least until the next morning when she had to have her coffee.

Pulling into the restaurant, Nancy placed her order and sat at the counter as she waited for it to be completed. She was surprised it was so quiet in there, considering it was usually busy. But now that she thought about it, traffic had been pretty light on the drive over. It was almost eerie—even though River Heights was relatively small, there was still always something going on.

Finally after fifteen minutes, her meal was brought out to her in two large paper bags. After paying for it, she headed out to her car and pulled out of the parking lot, driving back towards her apartment.

Braking at a red light, Nancy bobbed her head to the song playing on the radio, singing the familiar lyrics softly to herself. What she didn't expect was for the passenger door to open and someone slip inside.

And what she really didn't expect was for that person to be Wesley Levine.

* * *

**Oh, no…it's a cliffhanger! I would apologize for it, but I haven't had one of those in a while…**

**Thanks to my lovely reviewers: Michelle Gallichio (The story does get darker from this point on…), misslady92 (Frank and Joe may not have been able to react to the little gift, but they will certainly be reacting now…), Caranath (You just never know about any of my characters…), max2013 (Nothing gross in this chapter, but there will be more! I'll warn you when to cover your eyes!), Cupcake (Yay, recruiting! But, **_**please**_**, do not send Wesley after anyone who doesn't want to read…I could never live with myself!), FreshKicks (Thank you! Glad you're loving it!), SC15 (Nancy has pretty much gone several miles back at this point…), Lady Emily (Aw, you wouldn't want a present like that? I'll keep that in mind, my friend!), MinecraftDanny (Get better soon! And thank you for the compliment…I truly appreciate it!), and Alicia Hardy (Welcome, my friend! And holy freaking crap, why did you disappear for so long? I've missed you!)**

**Love you guys and everyone who is reading and adding me to their alerts!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	12. Eleven

**Eleven**

* * *

If there was one thing that Ella missed the most it was the sunlight. It had been days since the warm rays had washed over her skin, kissing her in its warmth, even though it was the dead of winter. She'd always loved the outdoors, being in the wide open spaces and one with nature. While she hadn't really been able to enjoy it since her first abduction, it still called to her like an old friend. She always held onto the hope that she would be one with it once again.

But as the days passed, locked in a cage in a large, dank basement, she began to have her doubts. If only there was a window, then she could at least catch a glimpse of the sun. Instead, all she got was four cement walls, the smell of death and blood, and lots of time to think.

Of course, now she wasn't so lonely thanks to the woman Wesley had managed to grab and place in the cage across from Ella.

After he'd cleaned up the blood from Taylor's murder, he'd left with her body only to return a few hours later with another woman. He hadn't said a word to Ella as he deposited her into an empty cage, the woman unmoving. In fact, she hadn't really moved since she was placed into her cell. Of course, that was probably due to the drugs that Wesley kept pumping into her body.

Ella wished the other woman would wake up so she could at least warn her to keep quiet. She'd taken Wesley's advice to heart—she would do anything to keep the other women from meeting the same grisly fate as Taylor. It still terrified her to think about what he had done to Taylor, just because she wouldn't stay quiet. She hadn't been able to sleep, nightmares plaguing her every time she closed her eyes.

Deep down, she knew the same fate pretty much awaited her as well. She may not die in the exact same manner as Taylor—at least, she hoped not—but she was going to die regardless. While part of her was happy that she'd been unharmed thus far, she knew her luck would only last so long.

She only hoped that the next time the door opened, Wesley would be coming down alone. She didn't think she could handle seeing another innocent woman being brought into the room. Then again, she would have been more thrilled to see the door open and the police swarm the place.

But that was just wishful thinking.

And Ella Jacobs had stopped believing in wishes coming true a long time ago.

* * *

Nancy felt as if her heart literally leapt up into her throat, slowly choking her to death as Wesley turned to smile at her. She would have closed her eyes, praying that this was a nightmare, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the killer sitting beside her in the passenger seat of her car.

Wesley Levine was actually sitting in her car. _Her car._

Even though she tried, she couldn't stop the tremor of fear that ran through her body, which only seemed to make Wesley's smile grow.

Flight or fight was waging a war inside her head, the flight instinct taking the lead. She needed to get away from him and quickly. If not, she knew was as good as dead.

Keeping her eyes on Wesley, she took her left hand off of the steering wheel and slowly moved it towards the door. If she could just get it open, she could get out of the car and run for help. There were still plenty of places open, even at this time of night. Surely there would be someone around who could help her.

Wesley's smile quickly faded from his face as he realized what Nancy was trying to do. Before she could touch the handle, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her towards him, pressing a knife against her belly. "You even think about opening that door, and I'll carve those pretty little guts out of you before the light even turns green."

Nancy let out a gasp as she felt the blade cut through her shirt, unable to move from the grip he had on her neck.

"Put your hands back on the steering wheel and drive. Understand?"

"Yes." Swallowing hard, Nancy gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the death grip she had on it. The light turned green and she eased the car forward, afraid to provoke the killer any further. She knew what he was capable of and she had no doubt that he would keep his word.

"So, tell me, Nancy. Have you missed me?"

"What do you think?"

"I've missed you," Wesley went on as if she didn't answer. "I've thought about you every day since you got away from me." He chuckled as she continued to drive down the empty road. "You know, you really should take the time to make sure your doors are locked before you go anywhere."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Wesley tightened his grip on her neck, making her cry out in pain. "Turn into this parking lot, away from the security lights."

Nancy did as she was instructed, only coming to a stop when he indicated it was okay to do so. She put the car into park, wondering what he was going to do next. Slowly, he removed his hand from the back of her neck, but keeping the knife where she could see it.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I'm taking you home."

"The police are already looking for you," Nancy said, watching as the moonlight illuminated him digging into a small bag at his feet. It was the only source of light they had, the darkness feeling as if it was cutting her off from the rest of the world. It was an eerie feeling, making her tremble even more.

"Oh, I'm sure they are, especially after the last present I gave you." Sitting up, Wesley tossed a pair of handcuffs into her lap. "Push your seat back and put those around your ankles."

Nancy picked them up with shaky hands, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She noticed that the knife was still being held close to her belly. "I can't do much if you don't move the knife."

"How inconsiderate of me," Wesley mocked, but he did move the knife away from her stomach, keeping it in plain view as she reached down and moved the seat back as far as it would go.

As Nancy looped one of the cuffs around her left leg and snapped it into place, she remembered the gun that Frank had insisted she keep in her car. She could remember arguing with him about the weapon, but he insisted it was for her protection. She'd never liked guns, but she'd finally relented, promising to keep it in her vehicle.

For once, she was glad she listened to Frank.

"What's taking so long?" Wesley asked, watching her carefully.

"It's dark," Nancy said as she placed the other cuff around her right ankle. Using her left hand, she reached underneath the seat, her hand closing around the weapon. "I can barely see anything."

"Would you like me to help?" Wesley asked softly, moving her hair away from her face with the sharp tip of the blade, making her gasp.

"I've got it," Nancy bit out, squeezing the cuff until it clicked into place. There wasn't much slack between her legs, but Nancy knew she could manage to run if she needed to. It would take quite a bit of effort on her part, but she'd gotten herself out of worse situations before.

"Good," Wesley said, producing another pair of cuffs from the bag. "Lay your head against the steering wheel and put your hands behind your back."

Nancy knew this was going to be her only shot at getting away. As soon as Wesley secured her hands behind her back, she would be done for. She needed to act now.

Keeping the gun out of his sight, she put her head against the steering wheel, bringing her right hand behind her back. Wesley put the knife down in the cup holder between them, needing to use both of his hands to bind her hands. Gripping her right hand tightly, he snapped the cuff on, the cold metal snapping Nancy into action.

Before he could react, she turned around the face him, bringing the gun up to aim at his chest. Wesley reacted quickly, growling as he grabbed the hand that held the gun, slamming it over and over into the dashboard until she had no choice but to drop it.

Nancy wasn't about to give up, though.

Bringing her knees up to her chest, she kicked out at Wesley with her bound legs, sending him crashing against the passenger door. The window cracked as his head collided against it, and Nancy took advantage of his momentary shock as she reached behind her and opened the door, spilling out onto the pavement. The wind was knocked out of her body, her hear bouncing against the concrete, but she didn't let it faze her as she picked herself up and began hobbling away.

Wesley let out a guttural cry, the sound cutting through her like a knife. She'd barely made it a few feet before she was tackled from behind, her head once again bouncing off the pavement. The only difference this time was that she actual felt blood trickle down her forehead as Wesley hauled her up from the ground and dragged her back towards her car.

"Let me go!" Nancy screamed, struggling with him, digging her nails into his arms.

"Stupid bitch!" Wesley roared, shoving her against her car as he opened the back door. Gripping her face, his eyes were feral as he forced her to look at him. "You're going to wish you'd never done that, Nancy."

Nancy wished a lot of things at that moment, none of which would come true for her now.

Bringing her face closer to his, Wesley smashed his lips against hers in a brutal kiss, shoving his tongue down her throat, nearly causing her to choke. Nancy writhed against him refusing to give in to the kiss, digging her nails into his face in an attempt to get him away from her. Letting go of her face, Wesley grabbed her wrists in a bone crushing grip, biting down on her lip until he drew blood.

Nancy let out a gasp as he pulled away from her, tasting the unmistakable copper tang of blood. Glaring up at him, she spit it into his face, pleased with herself when he jerked back.

Instead of hitting her like she expected, he merely wiped the blood away from his face, slowly licking it off of his fingers. "There are going to be so many regrets tonight, my love."

"The biggest one being that you're not dead," Nancy bit out.

Wesley only chuckled as he pushed her into the car, forcing her to lie down on her back as he stretched her arms above her head. Taking the other set of handcuffs, he cuffed her to the door handle, smiling as he tightened it to the point where it bit into her skin. Sliding off of her body, he pushed her legs towards the floorboard so that she was lying in an uncomfortable position as he unlocked one of the cuffs only to loop it around the metal seat bracket before locking it back around her ankle.

"We have quite the drive ahead of us, Nancy. Better make yourself comfortable."

Nancy let out a scream of frustration as she pulled against her restraints, thrashing wildly on the seat.

"Now, now…we can't have any of that." Pulling himself out of the back, he reached into the front seat, only to reappear with a roll of duct tape.

"No…don't!" Nancy's eyes widened as Wesley crawled back into the back seat, pulling a section of the tape from the roll.

Wesley let out a deep chuckle as he leaned down over Nancy, his face hovering scant inches over hers. He gazed deeply into her eyes, his fingers tracing lightly along her jaw line. "So beautiful…"

"Wesley, please…" Nancy begged, trying to turn her head away from him. Fear was like a lead weight in her gut. Before she had a chance to react, he brought his lips down against hers once again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, forcing it in deeper when she tried to fight against it.

"When you fight me, Nancy, it only makes me want you even more," Wesley said as he sat up, just as a bright pair of headlights lit up the inside of the car. "Looks like we might have some company."

Tearing off a piece of tape, he pressed it over her mouth, before throwing the roll of tape into the front seat. Stepping out of the car, Wesley closed the door.

Nancy strained her ears to hear who had pulled up behind them. Maybe there was still a chance for her to get out of this mess. She only hoped the person wouldn't be caught in Wesley's crossfire. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Wesley's voice filtered through the vehicle, causing Nancy's heart to leap in her throat.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," the officer replied. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Wesley said with a laugh. "My wife's car was making some weird noises so I thought I would pull over to see what was going on."

"Did you figure out what it was?"

"I did. I was just about to leave when you pulled up."

"Do you mind handing over your license and registration?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"Just standard procedure," the officer said.

"Sure," Wesley said, but Nancy didn't miss the way his tone hardened slightly. "Let me just reach into my car and get the registration papers."

"Take your time."

Opening the driver's side door, Wesley reached for the glove compartment, his eyes locking onto Nancy's wide ones. "Make one sound in here and I kill him," Wesley said, barely moving his lips.

Nancy could only nod, not wanting the officer to die.

Pulling himself out of the car with the papers, Wesley slammed the door shut. "Here you go."

"I'll be right back," the officer said and Nancy heard his footsteps move away.

Silence hung heavy in the air as Wesley leaned against the side of Nancy's car. Even though he wasn't looking directly inside the car, Nancy knew that Wesley was watching her closely, just daring her to attempt anything.

A few minutes later, footsteps approached the car as the officer came back.

"You said this was your wife's car, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct," Wesley answered.

"Sir, could you step away from the car?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Just please step away," the officer repeated.

"Sure…" Wesley said and Nancy watched as he moved away from her car.

Soon the beam of a flashlight shined into the interior, causing Nancy to wince as the bright light hit her eyes. Everything in her froze as the officer took in her appearance before he began fumbling with the door.

"What the hell?"

He never got the chance to open the door as he was suddenly slammed into the side of the car. Nancy instantly recognized him as the officer who had interrupted her meeting with Chief McGinnis as his face was pressed against the window. Just as quickly, his head was jerked back violently before Wesley slit his throat, blood spurting all over her window.

Nancy let out a muffled scream, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat as she watched Wesley murder the cop in cold blood. She jerked against her restraints, ignoring the pain as the cold metal cut into her skin, drawing blood. Tears sprang to her eyes as sobs rocked her body, feeling completely helpless as the cop's body slid down before falling to the ground in a boneless heap.

After a few seconds, Wesley hopped into the driver's seat and started the ignition. He turned his head to peer down at Nancy, smiling as he inhaled deeply. "I'm so glad you had the foresight to pick up dinner, Nancy. I'm absolutely starving."

With a chuckle, he pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring Nancy's soft whimpering as she mourned the man who'd just been senselessly murdered. She couldn't stop the hopeless feeling inside her as Wesley drove her to what she was sure to be her final destination.

_Hell._

* * *

**And the body count has risen to two…**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter: Alicia Hardy (I am so glad my car has automatic locks…you have no idea how happy I am about that! See, I end up scaring myself as I write it!), Michelle Gallichio (Very bad things are coming, indeed…he's finished toying with her), max2013 (Danger, indeed!), Esmerelda Diana Parker (Welcome! And I have no problems with Frank coming to confront me…love me some Frank Hardy!), SC15 (You really should be careful what you wish for…they have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass!), Caranath (Surprisingly, there are still cars that do not have automatic locks—my dad has one of those and his car is not old at all! Mutilated Nancy, eh? That might be a real possibility…), MinecraftDanny (More creepiness on its way!), FreshKicks (But cliffhangers are so much fun!), Cupcake (I updated so you can't be a basketcase now!), and Jabba1 (Nancy never had a chance against him…).**

**And a special thanks to Lady Emily for keeping me on track when I was attempting to veer off of it…**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	13. Twelve

**Twelve**

* * *

Frank could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. It started in the base of his skull and was slowly creeping into the front of his head, vibrating with a dull intensity. No amount of ibuprofen was helping it. He would know, after all. He'd already taken six within the last three hours and it still was going strong.

Of course, it may have been due to the fact that he had been sitting in the morgue's office for the past two hours, waiting for word on whether they had found Taylor Vaughn's body or not. Frank wasn't entirely sure why it was taking so long to identify her. It's not as if her body was in such terrible condition that they had to await dental records or fingerprinting.

Someone could just look at her and tell them if it was Taylor.

Instead, they insisted they had to go "by the book" to ensure that the investigation was done properly.

Frank had worked with enough police departments to know that they were just getting the runaround. After all, he and Joe were just a couple of private detectives from Chicago, encroaching on another department's territory.

Not only that, Frank knew how police viewed private detectives. They saw them as jokes, unable to get a job as a real police detective. Frank hated to tell them that he and his brother, along with Nancy, had more experience than any of them combined. Considering they had been working investigations since they were teens, not to mention had fathers who worked in or with law enforcement, they knew what they were doing.

When they were forced to wait for hours at a time when they could be doing some more productive, it really aggravated him. Not to mention, he'd been struggling with himself not to get in his car and drive back to River Heights after he received the phone call from Nancy about the package she'd received from Wesley.

What kind of psycho sends a human heart and tongue to someone?

The answer: the same psycho who cuts said heart and tongue out of another human being and who also happens to be obsessed with his fiancée.

Nancy had assured him that she was okay and she'd gotten to police involved. As much as they wanted to keep the police out of this, Frank knew they no longer had that option. Besides, the way he looked at it was at least now the police would also be keeping an eye on Nancy. He would take any help that he could at this point.

"Still waiting?" Joe asked, falling into the seat beside his brother. He handed him what had to be his tenth cup of coffee. It sucked as far as coffee went, but at least it was something to put into his stomach.

Frank took a sip of the strong brew and winced as it went down his throat. "Yep. At this point, I think they're just screwing with us."

"You know how territorial they can be."

"Just because they're afraid we may find out something before them," Frank agreed. "It's like high school never ended."

"That's definitely not something they tell you during career guidance."

Frank chuckled. "If they told us that, we never would have wanted to graduate. What would be the point if we were going out into the real world to face the same thing?"

Joe nodded, but said nothing as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked after a few minutes of silence dragged on between them. Frank didn't miss the way the woman's murder seemed to bother his younger brother. It wasn't as if Joe had seen murder victims before—just never one who'd been murdered in such a horrific fashion.

"Not really," Joe admitted. "But I'll deal."

"I would understand if you wanted to walk away from this one, Joe," Frank said softly. "Hell, I'm doing everything I can to keep Nancy out of it."

"That's going to be impossible since Nancy is in this whether she likes it or not."

"I know."

Joe let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just can't help but think about what I would do if it was Vanessa in Nancy's place. It's hard enough to see what the two of you are going through. I don't know if I would be able to keep it together as well as you have, Frank."

"Let's hope you never have to find out," Frank said. Never in a million years would he wish something like this on his sibling. Even though it looked to Joe like he was managing everything going on with Nancy, Frank knew he was only a moment's notice from losing it all. There were some days when he wanted to just give up.

Before Joe could say anything in response, the door to the morgue opened and Huey stepped out. The detective looked as if he was about to drop at any moment. He glanced at the brothers, slightly startled, as if he'd forgotten they were still there.

"Is it Taylor?" Frank asked, rising to his feet.

Huey hesitated before slowly nodding his head. "It's her."

"And it took you three hours to let us know?"

"There were procedures we had to follow," Huey said, an angry expression clouding his features. "Besides, I don't owe the two of you any explanation at all, considering this isn't your jurisdiction."

"Then why did you let us stick around?"

"Honestly? I forgot that the two of you were still around." The detective stepped around them as he made his way towards the elevator at the end of the long hallway. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some bad news to deliver to Taylor's fiancé."

"So, that's it?" Frank asked, throwing his coffee cup into the trashcan as he followed Huey.

"That's it."

"Unbelievable."

Huey whirled around, jabbing a finger at Frank's chest. "You know, the two of you never told me exactly what you're even doing here. You said it may relate to a case you're working on, but other than that, you haven't given me anything. Do you know something about Taylor's murder that I should be privy to?"

Frank smirked as he shoved past the detective, Joe following closely behind. "Tell you what. Give me a call in three hours and I'll see what I can share with you. Seems only fair, doesn't it?"

The detective bristled, but Frank didn't give him a chance to respond as they got onto the elevator, making their way to the parking garage. Frank didn't miss the way that Joe was looking at him, almost as if he'd been replaced by someone else considering Frank was always the levelheaded part of the team. Joe was the one to be rash and ruffle feathers.

Frank had to admit, it felt good to be the unpredictable one for once.

As soon as they got into the car, Frank pulled out his cell phone and dialed Nancy's number as Joe drove. He wasn't surprised that it went to voicemail, considering how late it was at night. "Hey, Nan. I figure that you're probably in bed, but I just wanted to let you know that we're on our way back. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you."

Just as Frank hung up the phone, it immediately rang. He didn't even look at the screen, figuring it had to be Nancy returning his call. "Hey, Nan."

"_Frank, this is Chief McGinnis."_

Frank's hand tightened on the phone at the sound of the chief's voice. He couldn't think of any reason he would be calling him this late at night unless something had happened. "What's wrong?"

"_Where are you boys at?"_

"We're just leaving Indianapolis," Frank answered. "What's going on, Chief?"

Chief McGinnis let out a heavy sigh. _"One of my officers was just found murdered."_

"I'm very sorry to hear that…"

"_I appreciate that, but I wasn't calling you for condolences, Frank." _He took a deep breath before he said the words that shook Frank to his core. _"The camera from Officer Walters' car shows that he'd stopped behind Nancy's car. And while there was no sign of her on the video feed, it showed someone else."_

Frank didn't need the chief to say who it was because he knew without a doubt the name that would come out of his mouth.

"_Wesley Levine."_

* * *

**Short chapter this time, folks. This can be blamed on exhaustion due to pulling overtime at work. I could have made it longer, but I wanted you to have another chapter by today. **

**Thanks to all of the wonderful reviewers: Caranath (At least you could read this chapter before going to sleep…it was pretty tame!), MarvelAsh (Funny thing that you mention the spiders stalking you…after I wrote **_**Spider**_**, I swore they were following me everywhere! It freaked me out so much!), Cupcake (I understand being tired, so no worries! And I will try my best to continue to be awesome!), max2013 (No warnings needed for this chapter, but definitely for the next one…), Lady Emily (Wesley does walk a thin line…which makes him that much more fun for me to write!), Alicia Hardy (Anything that I can do to help you take a break from studying is my pleasure! Good luck in school!), The Vulture (Welcome! Honestly, I don't know how she's getting out of this one, either!), Michelle Gallichio (Definite angst to come!), SC15 (Aw, thanks! Wesley is an awesome serial killer to write! And you're right about Frank…he should have taken Nancy with him…), MinecraftDanny (No worries…more creepiness is definitely coming up! Be careful what you wish for…), FreshKicks (Plenty of kick ass Nancy to come. And the girl at the beginning of the previous chapter was no Nancy…just someone else Wesley picked up.), Jabba1 (Things never work in Nancy's favor in my twisted little world…), SarahE7191 (Welcome back! Sorry about the cliffhangers…they're just so much fun to write!), catlover1033 (Welcome back…hope you're having a wonderful time on your trip! And as for what you hinted at in your review…you will definitely have a warning.)**

**You already know how much I think you guys rock, but I never get tired of saying it so thank you!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and the next chapter will be longer. Let me know what you think!**


	14. Thirteen

**Thirteen**

* * *

Nancy wasn't sure how she managed to do it, but she must have dozed off during the nightmarish drive with Wesley. It was either that or focus on the fact that she was getting further and further away from her home and Frank. If she did that, she knew she would have been nothing more than an emotional mess. It was important for her to keep her emotions in check, refusing to give Wesley any sense of satisfaction.

And by God, was he satisfied.

It was hard to miss that fact. Even under the comfort of sleep, Nancy could feel the satisfaction coming off of him in waves. The few times he'd tried to say something to her, Nancy feigned sleep, pretending that she couldn't hear him. After all, pretend was a much better than reality.

At least when she pretended, she was still with Frank, safe and sound at home. Not trapped in a car with the monster that'd haunted her dreams for the past three months. And certainly not headed to God knows where in which death would be imminent.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep, Nancy," Wesley's voice cut through her subconscious. "We're home."

Nancy's eyes fluttered open as she realized the car finally came to a complete stop, the engine making a clicking sound as it cooled down from the long drive. Her eyes darted all around the car, ignoring the fact that Wesley was turned in his seat to stare down at her. Darkness surrounded her on all sides, only the faint sliver of moonlight coming from a small window behind the back windshield.

_Garage._

Closed off from the outside world, with no idea where she even was. Even if my some miracle, she happened to get away, Nancy would have no idea which direction to go. Which was the exact reason Wesley had left her tied up in the position she was in now. Her whole body felt as if it was on fire from her arms being pinioned above her head to her feet being tethered in an awkward position. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been so uncomfortable.

Nancy's stomach rumbled as the long forgotten aroma of Chinese food wafted through the car. How long had it been since she'd run into the diner to grab some dinner? Had Frank and Joe even made it back to River Heights? Did they realize that she was missing?

Wesley chuckled as he opened the door, causing Nancy to blink rapidly at the sudden light flooding the interior of the vehicle. "Sounds like someone is hungry? How about we take the food in and have dinner with the others?"

Others? Nancy almost forgot that Wesley had taken another girl. What was her name? Ellen?

Ella.

But he said there were others…just how many others were there?

Before she could ponder it anymore, the door at her feet opened and Wesley slid inside. Nancy thought he was going to free her feet first, which would give her a chance to kick him. It was almost as if he knew of her intention, leaving her feet tethered to the seat as he stretched across her body to unlock her wrists from the door.

Before she could lash out at him, Wesley gripped her wrists and cuffed them behind her back, smiling when he saw her heated glare. "You don't really think I'm going to give you the opportunity to get away, do you?"

Nancy grunted through the tape as he pulled her to a sitting position.

Sliding out of the car, Wesley bent down and unlocked the cuffs around her feet, putting them into his pocket before lifting her to her feet. He chuckled as she stumbled, her legs working overtime to regain circulation. "Careful there, Nancy. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

Once again, Nancy could do another more than let out another angry grunt.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to say something?" He didn't wait for another grunt as he ripped the tape from her face.

Nancy let out a cry, pinpricks of pain burning along the lower half of her face. She was pretty sure he took away the first layer of skin. She flexed her jaw back and forth, working some slack into her face before swallowing against the dryness that had settled in her throat.

"Better?"

"Bite me," Nancy muttered as he gripped her upper arm tightly before grabbing the bag of take-out from the car.

"Maybe for dessert," Wesley whispered into her ear as he pushed her towards the door leading out of the garage.

Nancy couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine as he nipped at her ear lobe. It was clear that Wesley was much more dangerous this time around than the last. While every instinct at her screamed to fight back and try to get away, she knew it would be hopeless, especially with her hands cuffed behind her back and the tingling in her legs as they still worked to get circulation.

"Oh, and in case you think about screaming for help, forget about it. We're surrounded by woods and the nearest neighbor is at least half a mile away." He gave her arm a squeeze as he opened the door and pushed her inside the house, locking the door behind them. "We have the place all to ourselves."

"Except for the other girls you have imprisoned."

"Well, there is that…" Wesley gave a dark chuckle as he flipped on the light switch, the room illuminating into a brilliant glow.

Nancy couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips as she took in the room around her. She was standing in a dining room that opened up into a massive kitchen. The walls were painted a warm teal, the countertops made of black granite. Stainless steel appliances gleamed, not a single fingerprint visible on the shiny surfaces. She imagined if she looked around the rest of the home, she would find it as normal and spectacular as the kitchen.

This is not the kind of home a serial killer should be residing in. She expected something a little more run-down and odorous.

Not clean or meticulous, the smell of lemons filling the air.

It was so misleading that it actually terrified her.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Wesley staring at her expectantly. It was almost as if he was waiting for her approval, for whatever strange reason.

"What do you think?" Wesley asked softly as he guided her to one of the high-back barstools, lifting her arms over the back so she was secured to it. He began moving around the kitchen, taking out a serving tray and placing it on the counter.

"Who did you have to kill in order to get this place?" Nancy couldn't help the contempt in her tone.

If she expected him to get angry at her question, he disappointed her by chuckling. "This place actually belongs to me."

"And you're stupid enough to come here when every law enforcement agency out there is looking for you?"

Wesley pulled out three plates along with cloth napkins and silverware, placing it on the tray. "My name isn't listed on the deed. I worked for the FBI for many years, Nancy. I've learned a thing or two about keeping secrets."

"They'll figure it out eventually."

"They're certainly more than welcome to try." Wesley smiled at her as he placed three water bottles on the tray. "I'm good at what I do, Nancy."

Nancy knew firsthand what he was good at—inflicting pain and terror on others. As if in response to her thought, the area on her stomach where the spider had bitten her began to tingle, causing her to shudder.

Wesley came around the bar and unlocked the cuffs from around her wrists, freeing her from the chair. Then, he grabbed the bag of Chinese food. "Pick up the tray and walk ahead of me. Attempt anything and it won't be you who pays for your transgressions. I have two unwilling victims below who will suffer. Understand?"

"Yes," Nancy said, swallowing down the lump in her throat. Wesley knew exactly how to get her behave, knowing she wouldn't care if she got hurt. But if there was a chance an innocent person was harmed because of her actions, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Picking up the tray with both hands, Nancy began walking forward, Wesley steering her in the right direction with a hand on the small of her back. Her heart pounded in her chest with each footstep, her body working hard not to recoil from his touch.

"Where are we going?" Nancy asked softly.

"My playroom." Gripping her arm, he pulled her to a stop as they came to a door that was secured with a deadbolt. Pulling out a set of keys from his pocket, Wesley unlocked the door and pushed it open. While the stairs were enveloped in inky darkness, the bottom portion of the room was bathed in soft lighting. The powerful scent of cleaning products cut through the air, making Nancy gag. It was as if Wesley had found every cleaning fluid in the world and poured it into the room.

Flipping a switch, the wooden stairs were illuminated with light. Keeping a steady hand on her arm, Wesley nudged Nancy down the stairs, their footsteps echoing loudly as they descended. Nancy only began to make out the features of the room when they were halfway down the room, noticing the six large steel cages that took up two walls.

And two of those cages were occupied by young women.

Only one of the prisoners was awake—a young woman with long red hair that hung in tangled sheets over her shoulders and bright green eyes. She was wearing a flirty dress that was covered with grime, but other than that, she appeared relatively unharmed. Nancy also didn't miss the glare she leveled at Wesley and a sense of pride washed over her.

The girl was a fighter. There was no mistaking the gleam in her bright eyes.

The other woman was in the cage across from the redhead, lying on the mattress and making no indication that she'd heard them come into the basement. If Nancy didn't know any better, she would say she was drugged.

"Did you miss me, Ella?" Wesley asked, pulling Nancy to a stop only to take the tray from her hands and place it on the table.

"Ella Jacobs?" Nancy asked, remembering the name Frank had told her belonged to the missing girl.

"You know who I am?" Ella asked, her eyes locking on Nancy's.

"Everyone is looking for you."

"There will be plenty of time for the two of you to get to know each other," Wesley said, heaping food onto the plates. "In fact, I plan for the two of you to become very close."

"Why?" Nancy asked, ignoring the way her stomach rumbled at the sight of the food.

"Because I think it will be beneficial to the two of you and interesting." He handed a plate of food to Nancy, along with a bottle of water. "Bring that over to Ella. There's a slot at the bottom wide enough to fit the plate and water."

Nancy knew exactly what he meant by interesting. He wanted them to develop a bond before he ripped it apart. It was perhaps one of the cruelest things he could do.

Taking the food, Nancy walked over to Ella's cage and lifted the slot Wesley indicated. The other young woman looked at her uncertainly, but Nancy merely gave a slight nod of her head, indicating it was okay to eat. She wasn't sure if Wesley regularly drugged Ella's food, but she wanted the girl to begin to trust her.

If Wesley wanted them to get close, then they would. And Nancy would turn it right around on him. She could already tell by looking at her that Ella was a fighter. There was a fire inside her that burned deeply. She was just biding her time for the perfect opportunity, even though she knew there may be no chance for her to make it out of there alive. She would go out fighting.

Just like Nancy would.

Stepping back from her cage, Nancy stood up as Wesley came towards her with another plate of food and a bottle of water. Handing the items to Nancy, he gripped her arm and led her to the cage beside Ella's and unlocked the door. Nudging her inside, he closed the door and locked her in.

"Unfortunately, our other guest is still out of it," Wesley said, smiling at them. "I'll leave the two of you to eat and get to know each other."

Nancy almost couldn't believe what she was hearing as she placed the items on the ground. He wanted them to eat and get to know each other. And if Ella's condition was any indication, he had been feeding her regularly. What kind of game was Wesley playing?

"What kind of crap are you trying to pull, Wesley?" Nancy asked, gripping the bars of her cage tightly as she glared at him.

Wesley's expression was amused as he turned to look at her. "Whatever do you mean, Nancy?"

"Giving us food and then leaving us alone so we can talk."

"Would you rather I just take one of you and kill you now?" He smiled when Nancy remained silent, striding up to her "I didn't think so."

Wesley reached a hand in and cupped one side of her face before it moved to grip the back of her neck, jerking her face close to his. Anger clouded his eyes, almost making them appear a darker shade of blue. "Don't question what I do, Nancy. It would turn out to be a fatal mistake on your part."

Letting go of her, Wesley walked to the staircase, his footsteps pounding on the stairs as he ascended. A few seconds later the door closed behind him, the sound of the lock being thrown into place echoing in the basement.

Nancy let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her body shivering as fear consumed her. Wesley was so much more unpredictable than he'd been before, switching from hot to cold without any notice.

"Are you okay?" Ella asked softly.

Jumping slightly, Nancy turned her head to see the other girl staring at her with concern in her eyes. Nancy reached up and absently rubbed the back of her neck where Wesley had gripped it. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Nancy nodded, giving her a shaky smile. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm Nancy, by the way."

"Ella. What happened to your head?"

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked, reaching for her forehead. She winced as her fingers came in contact with a bump and a stickiness that she could only assume was blood. "Oh. My head decided to get up close and personal with some pavement. The meeting went a little rougher than I would have liked."

Ella smiled slightly as Nancy's attempt at humor.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked the other girl.

"He hasn't hurt me, if that's what you mean."

"Good." Nancy nodded towards the food that Ella was picking at. "How often does he feed you?"

"Two times a day for the most part," Ella answered. "Sometimes three. Aren't you going to eat anything?"

Nancy shook her head. "I lost my appetite."

Ignoring the food, Nancy grabbed the bottle of water and took a long sip, letting the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. While she drank, she let her eyes trail over every inch of the cage, looking for any weak points she could manipulate to get out of her prison. The bars seemed to be welded into the top of the steel roof of the cage. She made a slow circle around the perimeter, paying close attention to the corners.

"What are you doing?" Ella asked, watching her.

"Looking for a way out."

"There isn't one," Ella answered miserably. "What makes you think you'll be able to find one?"

Nancy couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "I have a little bit of experience with these sorts of situations."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a private detective."

"Seriously?"

Nancy nodded as she pulled at one of the corner bars, only to be met with resistance. "You have a lot of people looking for you, Ella."

Ella nodded sadly as she sank down onto her mattress. "They won't be able to find me."

"Not if you give up." Nancy let out a sigh at her despondent look. "I know it doesn't seem like it, Ella, but there is a chance for us to get out of this alive. I'm not going to let Wesley hurt you."

"How are you going to stop him?"

"I'm not sure yet." Nancy tried the remaining bars, but found they also held strong. The only way out of the cage would be to pick the lock but she didn't have anything to use. "What about the other girl over there?"

"I don't know who she is."

"How long has she been here?"

"A day or so," Ella answered. "He keeps coming in here and injecting her with something every few hours."

Nancy let out a heavy sigh as she sat down on her own mattress, popping a piece of sweet and sour chicken into her mouth. Her stomach seemed to sigh in appreciation as she finally gave it what it craved. Soon, she found herself eating more and more until her plate was almost empty.

"Nancy, can I ask you a question?" Ella asked after they had been quiet for a few minutes.

"Sure."

"Do you know him?"

"Wesley?"

Ella nodded.

"A little better than I care to," Nancy admitted.

"How?"

Nancy leveled her gaze at Ella, knowing she wouldn't do her any favors by lying to her. The other girl deserved to know the truth. "He nearly killed me three months ago."

Ella opened her mouth several times, but no sound ever came out.

"I meant what I said to you earlier, Ella," Nancy said, scooting to the edge of the cage so she was closer to her. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that Wesley doesn't hurt you. Even if it kills me."

As soon as she said the words, Nancy knew there was truth in them. She would do anything she could to ensure that Ella made it out of here alive.

No matter what.

Even if the price was her own life.

* * *

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing!**

**Alicia Hardy (Don't you just hate waking up to weird sounds in the middle of the night? For the past couple of nights, my neighbor's dog has come into my yard and barked right underneath my window, making me think something is there!), Caranath (I think Nancy can't help but to infuse a little bit of hope, no matter how small it is…), Michelle Gallichio (I'm loving Ella, too! And I hope I keep providing a distraction for you!), SC15 (Can't say what's going to happen to Wesley…just that he will definitely be inflicting lots of terror and pain…), MinecraftDanny (I plan on making it as creepy as I can! Please tell your sister not to be jealous!), Lady Emily (Believe me…I know how much you love some Frank! Almost as much as me!), Cupcake (Nope, I'm still alive and kicking! Wesley has nothing on me! And I'm glad you could get to know me a little better…I'm not that scary, right?), max2013 (I hope you're not too nervous to read on…but I would understand completely if you didn't want to), and FreshKicks (That's me…sneaky as can be! And no dying on your part...I can't deal with that kind of guilt!)**

**Frank and Joe coming up in the next chapter along with some violence from Wesley.**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	15. Fourteen

**Fourteen**

* * *

**Violence ahead. Grab a nightlight for you have been warned.**

* * *

When the Hardys finally arrived back in River Heights, Frank felt as if he was about to crawl out of his skin he was so antsy. He refused to allow himself to overreact after he had gotten Chief McGinnis's phone call. Sure, Wesley had been seen with Nancy's car, but that didn't necessarily mean he had her. He could have just stolen her car to scare them.

And if he did that, he had to admit that it was working.

Frank was truly and utterly terrified of the implications. Sure, there was a police officer dead and Frank felt horrible about that. He really did.

But if there was even a chance that Wesley had managed to get a hold of Nancy again, then someone might as well put a bullet in his brain and call it a day. He didn't know if he could deal with this again, not so soon. He prayed with everything in him that Nancy was tucked away in their apartment, safe in bed in such a deep sleep that she didn't hear the incessant ringing of her cell phone.

It wasn't difficult to find the empty parking lot where the cop had been murdered. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, red and blue lights cutting through the near complete darkness. Several generated-running spotlights were set up around the perimeter of the parking lot, illuminating it almost as bright as midday sunlight.

Joe pulled into an available spot in the parking lot. "I'm going to head over to the apartment and see if Nancy is there."

Frank barely gave a nod and didn't even wait until Joe had the car in park before he was jumping out and hurrying over to where Chief McGinnis stood with a few other cops. They barely even gave him a glance as he came to a stop.

"What happened?"

Chief McGinnis stepped away from the crowd, gripping Frank by the arm to steer him away from the crime scene. He didn't say anything to the older Hardy until they were out of earshot of everyone else. "Where's Joe?"

"He went back to my apartment to see if Nancy was there." Frank could already tell from the chief's expression that Joe wouldn't find her there, but he refused to believe it until his brother gave him conclusive confirmation. "What happened here?"

"From what we gathered from the video from Officer Walters's vehicle, he pulled up behind Nancy's car where Levine was standing outside. Levine claimed he was driving his wife's car because she had been hearing noises, so he pulled over to investigate."

"In a dark parking lot?" Frank asked in disbelief.

Chief McGinnis shrugged. "Anyway, Levine hands over his license and registration and Walters goes to check it out. He apparently finds out that its Nancy's car and asks Levine to step away so he can search the vehicle." He rubbed the back of his neck. "From what we can tell, Walters saw something in there that spooked him, but he never got the chance to look before Levine slit his throat."

"Son of a bitch," Frank muttered. "And there was no sign of Nancy on the video?"

"None."

"Do you think that was what spooked Walters when he looked inside the car?"

"It's possible that she was in the backseat."

Frank closed his eyes, not wanting to admit the possibility. He knew without a doubt that if she was in the backseat, she was either drugged or tied up or both. It's the only way she wouldn't have been able to warn the officer to stop Wesley from killing him. Nancy never would have let an innocent person die on her behalf.

"Let's just wait until we hear back from Joe before we jump to any conclusions about Nancy," Chief McGinnis said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Why the hell wasn't anyone following her?" Frank asked, shrugging off the chief's grip. Anger coursed through his veins and it scared him a little with how sudden the feeling washed over him.

"We have limited resources at the moment, Frank. You know that as well as I do," Chief McGinnis said patiently, as if he was trying to placate an unruly child.

That only made Frank's anger rise. "That's complete bullshit and you know it! You knew that asshole was still out there and you did nothing!"

Even though it was dark, Frank didn't miss the way the chief's face flushed with anger. Chief McGinnis jabbed a finger into Frank's chest, making him stumble back. "We have been exhaustively checking every single lead that came across our desks! There hasn't been a single day that we haven't checked out some new dead-end lead."

"Then why hasn't there been a detail put on Nancy this entire time?"

"The mayor was breathing down my neck, Frank. There is no way in hell that he would have agreed to put surveillance on her without some new attempt on her life." Chief McGinnis held up a hand when Frank opened his mouth. "Yes, I know she received a couple of packages from the son of a bitch and he even entered your home. But that still wasn't enough to warrant twenty-four hour protection. But without him doing something to cause her physical harm, my hands were tied."

"And now it may be too late for her," Frank said, bitterly.

"How the hell were we supposed to know something like this was going to happen? Last time I checked, I wasn't psychic and neither were you."

"He was just waiting for an opening."

"And you left her."

Frank felt as if he'd just been hit in the face with a two-by-four. In fact, that would have felt ten times better than the impact of the truth of Chief McGinnis's words. Yes, he had left Nancy here alone, unprotected and vulnerable. That's not saying that Frank could have stopped Wesley if the killer really wanted her. But at least she would have had more of a fighting chance to get away from him.

It was Frank's fault that she was gone.

"Frank, I didn't mean…"

Frank shook his head, letting out an unsteady breath. "No, you're absolutely right. I left her…This is all my fault."

"Frank…"

The chief didn't get to say anything else as they were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. Frank looked up to see Joe approaching them, a grim look on his face. He didn't need his brother to tell him what he found—or didn't find.

Frank knew.

"She wasn't at the apartment, Frank," Joe said, his tone almost apologetic. "In fact, there's no sign that she ever made it back home."

* * *

Nancy leaned back against the cage, shivering slightly as the cold metal sent a shock through her system. But she didn't dare close her eyes. Sure, she was exhausted and sleep was so inviting, but she couldn't afford to go to sleep now, not when she had no idea what Wesley was going to do next.

Instead, she kept a steady vigil over the other two women as they slept. Ella had finally given in to sleep half an hour ago, and the other girl still had yet to awake. Whatever Wesley had used to knock her out packed quite a punch. It made Nancy wonder why he would keep one girl drugged, yet not do the same to her or Ella.

She had a feeling it was an answer she didn't want to know.

As she sat there in the silence, she let her thoughts drift to Frank. He had to have realized she was missing by now, and she could only imagine the hell he was going through. She wasn't sure how much more stress he could take before he finally succumbed to it all. Frank had been her rock for the past three months, offering her strength when she had none.

Nancy would give anything to be back in his arms where she felt safe and at home. She only hoped that she got that chance again, but she couldn't help but have a very bad feeling that something awful was going to happen. Not that her situation with Wesley was exactly pleasant, but she just had a sinking suspicion that it was going to get so much worse than before.

There were only so many times her luck could hold out.

Her thoughts were broken as the door to the basement opened, and footsteps thudded down the stairs. Nancy instantly got to her feet, watching as Wesley came into the room, smiling. He was dressed differently now in a pair of dark jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair wet as if he just stepped out of the shower. The smell of aftershave and spice permeated the air.

The other two girls remained oblivious and Nancy hoped that Wesley would just focus on her and leave them two of them alone.

"How was your dinner?" Wesley asked, coming to a stop outside of her cage.

"It was fine."

"Did you enjoy your time getting to know Ella?"

"What was the point of that?" Nancy asked, refusing to answer the question. The truth was, she found herself able to grow close to Ella—which was exactly what Wesley was going for. And as soon as he had his validation, he would use it against her.

"I thought Ella could use a friend," Wesley answered. "Lord knows, she's been incredibly lonesome down here."

"And whose fault is that?"

"I had another girl down here for Ella. She chose to misbehave and was a bad influence for our young friend."

"Do you mean Taylor?"

"Was that her name?" Wesley asked, nonchalant.

Nancy gripped the bars, giving them a firm shake. "You son of a bitch. You know exactly who she was. You've never grabbed anyone on a whim. You study them, get to know everything about them, and then you strike."

Wesley chuckled. "I am extremely flattered to hear you know me so well, Nancy. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but I'm ecstatic that you survived me the first time." He took a step closer to the cage, his voice dropping lower. "We have so much to learn about each other."

"I don't have a damn thing to learn about you," Nancy said, narrowing her eyes. "I know everything I need to know about you."

"How about we see if I can change your opinion?" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked her cage. Before she could take a step back, he took her arm in a bruising grip and pulled her out.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything at the moment," Wesley said as he tugged her towards Ella's cage. Putting the key into the lock, he opened the door to Ella's cage and pushed Nancy inside. "Bring Ella out here."

"Why?"

"Not to sound so terribly grown up, but how about because I said so?" At Nancy's hesitation, his eyes darkened to that frighteningly beautiful sapphire color. "Either you get her out of there, Nancy, or I will. And I will not be gentle about it."

There was no doubt that Wesley was telling her the truth. He would hurt Ella just to teach her some twisted little lesson. Nancy knew she couldn't let Ella get hurt because of her stubbornness. It would be best if she just did as Wesley instructed until an opportunity presented itself for her to strike back.

Ella stirred awake at the sound of their voices, jerking slightly when she noticed Nancy in the cage with her. "Nancy?"

"It's okay, Ella," Nancy said softly, offering her hand to help her up. "I need you to come out here with me, okay?"

"Why?"

"I'm waiting, Nancy," Wesley said, his tone hardening.

Nancy ignored him as she took Ella's hand. "Just listen to me, okay?" She leaned forward so she could whisper in her ear. "I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you. But you have to listen to me or he's going to get angry."

Ella nodded, letting Nancy pull her out of the cage. Wesley pointed to the wooden chairs he had placed in the middle of the room. Nancy noticed it was facing the medical table, giving them a perfect vantage point.

"Ella, why don't you have a seat?" Wesley asked, before handing a length of rope to Nancy. "Tie her up, Nancy."

Nancy took the rope in her hands, giving Ella an encouraging smile as the other girl's eyes widened in fear.

"Nancy, please don't do this," she begged.

"It's going to be okay, Ella. I told you to trust me, remember?"

Swallowing hard, Ella nodded her head before sitting back in the chair and putting her hands behind her. Nancy made quick work, looping the coarse ropes around her slender wrists, being careful not to make it too tight. She didn't miss the way that Wesley watched her every move, but she refused to acknowledge him.

Once she was finished, she stood up.

"Good," Wesley said, nodding his approval before grabbing Nancy's arm once again. "Now to make our other guest comfortable."

Unlocking the other girl's cage, he shoved Nancy inside, allowing her to have her first good look at her. She had blonde hair that was long and tangled, covering the majority of her face. Nancy could make out a couple of piercings in her eyebrow through a gap in the mass of curls. She was wearing a short black leather skirt that was riding up her thighs, along with a green camisole that revealed tattoos covering a vast majority of her upper back.

"Nancy, I would like for you to meet Kate. I'm sorry that she can't be a little more sociable, but it seems as if our friend has a problem with drugs," Wesley said with a regretful sigh. "Grab her shoulders and help me carry her to the table."

"What are you going to do?" Nancy asked, hoping to stall whatever horrible thing he had in mind.

"You'll find out soon enough." Wesley reached down to take Kate's legs. "I won't ask you again, Nancy."

Nancy swallowed hard, still refusing to grab Kate. She knew in her gut that Kate wasn't going to live past tonight. She couldn't, in good conscience, sit back and let that happen without doing something. She could never forgive herself if that happened. She needed to get Wesley to focus on her.

"Whatever you're going to do to her, do it to me instead."

Wesley actually smiled at that as he dropped Kate's feet, closing the distance between himself and Nancy. Taking her face in both of his hands, he tilted her head back where she had to look up at him. "Is that what you would like, Nancy?"

Nancy tried to swallow down the lump of fear in her throat, but it remained stuck. "Yes…" she whispered, not missing the way her voice wavered on the word.

Closing his eyes, Wesley pressed his lips against her forehead. He stayed still against her for a few moments before pulling away to stare down at her. "That's very admirable of you, Nancy. And that is exactly why I will not honor your request. Help me get her out to the table."

Dropping his hands from her face, Wesley stepped back from her.

"No," Nancy said softly.

"No?"

"I won't do it."

Letting out a deep, throaty chuckle, Wesley lashed out, backhanding Nancy across the face. A startled cry escaped from her lips, her hand going up to her throbbing face. Wesley grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her closer to him.

"The next time you defy me, it won't be you I hurt." He forced her head around to look at Ella. "It will be her. Are you ready to try this again, Nancy?"

Nancy tried to ignore the way Ella stared back at her in horror before nodding. "Yes. I understand."

"Good. Help me get Kate to the table."

As soon as he released his grip on her hair, Nancy let out a shaky breath before reaching down and gripping Kate by her shoulders while Wesley picked up her feet once again. Nancy couldn't help but feel sick with herself as she helped carry the unconscious woman to the table. Once there, they lifted her up and turned her over onto her stomach.

"Strap her down and make sure they're tight."

Nancy did as she was instructed, anger racing through her body at the helpless feeling enveloping her. She hated that she couldn't do anything right now, especially when it left Ella at risk to pay for her transgressions. She could only hope that Kate was drugged up enough not to feel whatever it was that Wesley was going to do to her.

As soon as she was finished, Wesley gripped her arm once again and shoved her back against a wooden support beam. Grabbing her hands, he jerked them behind her back and tied them tightly. Ella gave a slight gasp, but Nancy shook her head at her, letting her know she was okay.

Turning away from them, Wesley pulled on a pair of rubber gloves before picking up a scalpel, holding it up to inspect the blade. Nancy took his momentary distraction to work on her bonds, trying to get some slack.

"Oh, God…" Ella whimpered.

"Does this bring back some horrific memories, Ella?" Wesley asked, amused. "Do you think I should cut out Kate's tongue, just like I did to Taylor?"

"No!" Ella cried out. "Please, don't!"

"But you seemed to really enjoy it." Wesley turned to smile at Nancy and she instantly stopped her struggles. "Besides, I'm sure Nancy would love to see what she missed."

"No, I wouldn't," Nancy said, glaring at him.

Smiling, Wesley walked around the other side of Kate so he didn't obstruct their view of what he was doing. "I think it's time for Kate to wake up and join us, don't you agree?"

Without waiting for them to answer, Wesley brought the scalpel down and cut away Kate's shirt, leaving her back completely exposed. Then, he began cutting a slow, deliberate line along her skin. Kate's eyes suddenly popped open, a horrifying screech emitting from her mouth. Wesley didn't stop as he continued to cut deeply into her writhing girl's skin.

It took Nancy a moment to realize what he was doing and when she finally caught on, she had a difficult time keeping down the food she'd eaten earlier. Unfortunately, Ella didn't have the ability to control her gag reflex as she vomited all over the floor.

Wesley was cutting away Kate's tattoos.

Nancy was desperate to get out of her ropes now. No way in hell could she watch as Wesley slowly tortured the girl as he removed her tattoos. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain as the ropes bit into her wrists as she tried to wriggle out of them.

Kate continued to scream and scream to the point Nancy wasn't sure how she still had working vocal cords. It was a sound she would never be able to get out of her head.

Letting out a delighted whoop, Wesley held out a chunk of skin that was in the shape of a large butterfly. He turned it around so Nancy and Ella could see it. "Imagine what took her hours of sitting under a needle in an uncomfortable chair only took minutes for me to destroy."

"Stop it, Wesley," Nancy pleaded, noticing how Kate's screams had turned into steady whimpers. Blood oozed down her back only to drip on the concrete floor below her. There was now a gaping hole in the middle of her back and Nancy knew it wouldn't be long until the girl went into shock.

"Why would I want to do that when I'm having so much fun?" Putting the chunk of skin on the medical tray, Wesley began cutting another line into her back, eliciting another bloodcurdling scream from her lips. "Such a beautiful pair of angel wings you have here, Kate."

Nancy tried to tune out her screams as she focused on getting herself free from the ropes. In between Kate's screams and Ella's whimpers, she thought her head might explode. She had to concentrate on getting free. It was the only thing she could allow herself to think about.

Moving her hands around, Nancy tried to feel for any sharp protrusion she could use to fray the ropes.

"There's one half of a wing," Wesley said proudly, holding it up.

Nancy ignored him, her heart skipping a beat when her fingers brushed against the sharp point of a nail sticking out of the wood. Keeping the rest of her body still, Nancy rubbed the ropes against the nail.

Kate let out another scream before it slowly died in her throat. Wesley continued to cut into her skin, pulling piece by piece off only to deposit them on the surgical tray. Nancy glanced over at Ella to see her slumped in the chair, passed out.

_Good,_ she thought. _She doesn't need to see anymore of this._

Nancy turned all of her focus on moving the ropes up and down, feeling them fray from the friction she was causing. Wesley didn't even glance her way as he hummed to himself, working on tearing Kate's back apart, even as she grew silent. While a small part of her hoped that Kate wasn't dead, she knew death would be a welcome blessing for her now. She couldn't begin to imagine the amount of pain she was in.

The ropes snapped apart after a few more minutes, causing Nancy to wince, hoping Wesley didn't hear it. He was so focused on his work, he didn't even look up. Nancy kept her hands behind her back, watching for her moment to attack.

"Beautiful," Wesley murmured, holding up another piece of skin shaped like a flower. He turned his head to smile at Nancy, sauntering towards her. Nancy tried to hide her disgust, but knew she failed horribly when he came to a stop in front of her, holding up the skin for her to see. "Look at it, Nancy."

"No."

"Look at it!" Wesley screamed, shoving it into her face.

Nancy struck out before it could touch her face, kneeing him in the groin. Wesley cried out in shock, bending down to grab himself and Nancy took the opportunity to smash her knee into his face. Wesley fell down to his knees, one hand at his groin and the other holding his nose as blood ran in rivulets down his face.

"You stupid bitch!"

Nancy quickly ran to Ella's side, digging into the knots while keeping an eye on Wesley. She knew he wouldn't stay down for long and when he did get up, payback would be horrible. Ella didn't make it any easier by squirming in her chair.

"Ella, be still!" Nancy snapped, instantly regretting it as she let out a whimper. "I almost have it, but you need to stay still."

"I'm sorry," Ella said before letting out a gasp. "Nancy!"

All of a sudden, she was tackled from the side, crashing to the floor with Wesley on top of her. He let out a growl before punching her in the jaw, making her see stars. Nancy fought against him, managing to push him off of her. Turning around, she tried to get back up to return to Ella, but Wesley grabbed her ankle and jerked her back to the ground, her head bouncing off of the concrete.

Nancy let out a moan, unable to pull herself up again. It was the second time that night that her head had taken a hard hit. She was lucky that she hadn't managed to lose consciousness yet.

Moving away from her, Wesley cut the ropes around Ella's wrists before grabbing her by the neck and throwing her back into her cage. Nancy tried to protest the brutal treatment, but no sound came from her lips, only another pitiful moan.

Wesley returned to Nancy's side, jerking her up by her hair before wrapping his arms around her body. "Remember when I told you that tonight was going to be filled with regrets, Nancy?"

Nancy let out a gasp as she struggled against his grip.

"I think it's time we take our little game upstairs."

* * *

**I know a good bit of you was expecting Frank to really lose it and break down, but when I thought it over, it just totally went against his character. Frank has always been the rational and level-headed one, so it wouldn't be right for him to turn into a blubbering mess. That's not to say there won't be a lot of anger and angst on his part, because there definitely will.**

**Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed: Alicia Hardy (Wesley makes me freak out with noises…it's hard living with him in my head), Guest (Thank you so much! I love bringing my characters to life!), NoMoreUsernames (Welcome! I love creating suspense!), SarahE7191 (Thank you!), Michelle Gallichio (I'm so happy you love it!), Caranath (I do enjoy inflicting torture, so there's no reason to hang your head in shame for sharing in it. Come over to the darkside with me!), MinecraftDanny (There will be more creepiness…promise!), FreshKicks (As I keep writing Ella, I love her even more. It's only natural for her and Nancy to get closer), max2013 (I will definitely give you warnings! No worries about that!), SC15 (The owner of the house if definitely twisted and sadistic…looks can be deceiving, especially with Wesley), VerityD (Welcome! And thank you so much for your compliment…it means a lot to me!), Cupcake (I had nothing to do with that spider! I promise! Now, Wesley on the other hand…), and Jabba1 (I love that you hate Wesley…just the way it should be!)**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	16. Fifteen

**This chapter does contain suggestions of rape. You have been warned.**

**Quite a few of you knew which direction this was headed and to be honest, it was my intention ever since I started **_**Absolution**_**. This was the most difficult chapter for me to write—and that includes out of everything I have ever written. Give me a graphic murder scene and I have no problem writing it. In fact, I welcome the challenge. But rape is an entirely different matter.**

**I approached Lady Emily with my idea and she was very supportive and encouraging of my decision. We spoke for quite a while about how I would approach the subject and I honestly couldn't have done this without her. It is such a taboo subject and everyone has a different reaction to it. It is also something that is very real, and women—and men—are faced with this crime on a daily basis. The statistics are staggering and as much as we would like to turn a blind eye to it, it still happens.**

**I grew up with Nancy Drew—she's been my heroine for as long as I can remember. When I first started writing fanfiction, it was my intention to make her a human being. I have her facing real problems and dealing with real emotions. Some you may agree with, and others you may not.**

**I understand if some of you choose not to read this chapter, but I really do hope you give it a chance. I tried to handle it in the most delicate way possible. It is your decision and I will support you guys either way, just as you have supported me.**

* * *

**Fifteen**

* * *

Nancy tried to ignore the pounding in her head, but it was difficult with the way that Wesley was dragging her through the house. Spots danced in her vision as blackness crept in the edges, but she refused to give in to unconsciousness. There was no way in hell she was about to close her eyes, no matter how welcoming it may be.

How could she have been so stupid to try to take on Wesley? At the very least, she should have made sure he was unconscious before trying to rescue Ella. Instead, she had left herself wide open to attack.

Now Wesley was pissed.

And Nancy would be the one to pay.

She knew, deep down in her heart, she would take whatever he dished out if it meant Ella stayed safe. There was no hope for Kate now, but Ella still had a chance to make it out of there alive.

Nancy was going to do everything in her power to make sure Ella lived to see her family again.

"Where are you taking me?" Nancy asked, stumbling as she tried to keep up with Wesley. He had a firm grip on her arm as he dragged her along behind him.

"Somewhere a little more private," Wesley answered, his voice barely more than a growl.

"I want to go back to the basement."

Wesley was seething as he came to a stop, jerking Nancy forward so she was right in front of him. "I don't really give a shit about what you want at the moment. You really should have thought about that before you decided to attack me."

Nancy gritted her teeth as she tried to pull away from him. "And I would do it again, you son of a bitch."

"Which is exactly why you're not going back down there, my love."

"Don't call me that." Nancy moved to pull away from him again, but he only strengthened his hold on her. "I'm nothing to you."

"You're everything to me. And I'm going to show you just how much," Wesley said, pulling her along once again. "We're going to get to know each other very well, Nancy."

Nancy felt a sliver of fear crawl down her spine as Wesley continued to pull her down the hallway, only to stop at the door at the end. Throwing the door open, Wesley shoved her inside, slamming the door behind them as Nancy tumbled to the floor. When he looked at her, there was an almost feral gleam to his eyes as he slowly approached her.

Scooting away from him, Nancy didn't dare turn her back on him. Not with the way that he was looking at her, like a hunter scoping out its prey. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, almost to the point where she was sure it was going to burst out of her chest. The look Wesley was giving her was more terrifying than anything she had ever seen in her life.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you looked afraid, Nancy." Wesley took another deliberate step towards her.

"Stay away from me, Wesley." Nancy continued to scoot back, swallowing hard as her eyes darted surreptitiously around for a weapon she could use. Wesley was going to pounce on her at any moment, she was sure of it. And she wanted to be ready for it when he did. And that meant finding a weapon, no matter how innocuous it may look.

"Why would I want to do something like that?"

Nancy let out a gasp as she bumped into a nightstand, the handles digging into her back. She allowed herself to be cornered and she needed to find a way out—now. Keeping her eyes on Wesley, she reached blindly around for a weapon, her hand closing around a something chunky and heavy.

A boot.

Closing her hand around it, she brought it closer to her body. It wasn't much, but she didn't need a lot. Just something to help in her escape before Wesley could do what he had planned.

"Get up off the floor, Nancy," Wesley said, completely blocking her in. There was only enough space for her to stand up. Just barely.

"No."

Wesley chuckled darkly. "I wasn't really giving you the option." Reaching down so he could grab her arm, he never expected Nancy to strike out with the boot. He let out a roar of surprise as she hit him in the head, knocking him away from her.

Unfortunately, he only stumbled back and didn't fall to the ground. He was still blocking her exit to the door. Seeing no other option, Nancy began crawling underneath the large bed. She made it halfway under when Wesley grabbed her ankle and began yanking her back.

Nancy let out a scream as she kicked at him with her other foot, grabbing at anything she could find to stop his momentum. Wesley let out a hiss before grabbing her other foot and pulling her out with a brutal jerk, eliciting another scream from her.

"Let go of me!" Reaching for the boot, she made to throw it at his head but he grabbed her wrist and jerked it out of her grasp before throwing it across the room. Grabbing her other wrist, he hauled her to her feet.

"I'm so glad to see you like to play rough, Nancy." Wesley's smile was chilling as he pulled her closer so his face was only inches from hers. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Before Nancy could react, he threw her on top of the bed, quickly straddling her so she couldn't go anywhere. Nancy instantly began pounding against him with her fists, trying to get him off of her.

Letting out a growl, Wesley grabbed her wrists, holding them in his left hand as he reached over in the top drawer of the nightstand for a length of leather cord. Wrapping it tightly around her wrists, he brought her hands up over her head and lashed them to the headboard, giving it one final brutal jerk to make sure she was secure.

Nancy let out a frustrated cry as she jerked against her bonds, but the leather only became more restricting against her skin. Even before Wesley began taking off his shirt, Nancy knew exactly what was about to happen.

And there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it.

"Please, don't do this, Wesley," Nancy begged, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. She'd been faced with death so many times, but this was going to be so much worse. She'd prefer death to this any day than to have Wesley violate her in the worse way possible.

"Why not?" Wesley murmured as he trailed kisses along her neck. "I know you want me, Nancy. I can see it in the way you're looking at me."

"Then you must be blind, you bastard," Nancy said as she tried to move her head away from him. "The only thing I want from you is for you to rot in hell!"

"Now, now, Nancy. Don't be mean." Wesley gripped her chin to make her look at him. "I can make this very enjoyable for you if you'll just let me."

"No!" Nancy thrashed underneath him as one of his hands moved under her shirt to touch her bare stomach before slowly moving up to cup one of her breasts. "Get off of me!"

"No," Wesley said softly, tracing more kisses along her neck before moving to nip at her collarbone. "You don't know how long I've wanted this, Nancy. The very first time I saw you, I knew I had to have you."

"Is that why you tried to kill me?"

"That was a mistake."

"And what do you call this?" Nancy asked, jerking against her bonds.

Wesley smiled at her as he sat up. "Making up for my mistake."

"By raping me?"

"That's such a harsh word, don't you think, Nancy?" Wesley tilted his head as he looked down at her. "It doesn't have to be that way. I don't have to be the only one to enjoy it."

"You will be, because there is no way in hell I would give you the satisfaction."

"Very well." Without warning, Wesley grabbed her shirt and ripped it open, making buttons bounce across the room. Nancy let out a gasp as the cold air hit her bare skin, but didn't get a chance to say anything else as his he covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside.

Nancy tried to turn her head away from him, but he gripped her chin, holding her in place as he continued his assault on her mouth. Wesley let out a low moan as his other hand traveled down her body, sliding into the waistband of her jeans. Panic flared inside of Nancy as she writhed underneath him, ignoring the pain in her wrists as she tried to pull away.

"Just give in, Nancy…" Wesley whispered, taking a few ragged breaths before collapsing his lips onto hers once again.

Letting out a guttural cry, Nancy somehow got her legs underneath him and kicked him off of her. Wesley fell backwards from the bed, landing against the footboard before tumbling to the floor. Nancy quickly scooted away from him, huddling against the headboard, pulling in desperation against the leather strap that held her prisoner. No matter how hard she pulled, it only seemed to get tighter until her hands started to go numb.

She watched with wide eyes as Wesley slowly got up from the floor before walking over to the large walk-in closet. He emerged a few seconds later with several neckties. Calmly making his way back to the bed, he grabbed for Nancy's legs, barely reacting as she continued to kick out at him. He quickly looped the ties around her ankles before tying them off to either end of the footboard.

Nancy let out an ear-piercing scream as tears ran down her cheeks, hoping by some miracle that someone just happened to be passing by, even though there wasn't a neighbor within hearing distance. Wesley quickly took the remaining tie and shoved it into her mouth before tying it tightly behind her head, silencing her scream muffled whimpers.

There was no way out of this.

Right then and there, Nancy prayed for death, especially as Wesley removed a knife and brought it up to her throat as he straddled her once again.

"You know, Nancy…if you were any other woman, I would have killed you by now." He slowly trailed the tip of the knife along her throat and down the length of her body until stopping at the waistband of her jeans. "I really wanted to make this as painless as possible, but I'm afraid you're not leaving me much choice."

Chocking back a sob, Nancy stiffened as he unbuttoned her jeans, slowly lowering her zipper. Then, using the knife, he cut her jeans away before throwing them across the room, leaving her only in her bra and panties.

Wesley smiled as he his gaze traveled up and down her body, lingering on the lacy red panties she wore. "I have to say, Nancy, I prefer the pink ones." He reached into the nightstand and pulled out a pink pair of panties. "Maybe you can put these on for me later."

Nancy's eyes widened as she recognized the lacy undergarment. The bastard had taken them from her apartment!

Wesley chuckled as he put the blade of the knife underneath the thin fabric, slicing through them like they were butter. Lifting off of her, he quickly donned his own jeans and boxers before taking his position above her once again. "I think we've wasted enough time. Don't you?"

In one horrifying instant, Nancy felt her world shatter.

* * *

Wesley let out a satisfied sigh as he lay beside Nancy, softly tracing circles along her bare stomach. The shiver going through her body only served to excite him even more and he had to control the urge to have his way with her again.

She was everything he had thought she would be and more. He wondered why he'd waited so long to take her and to make her his. He should have done it all those months ago when he'd first had her, but his ambition and thrill of the kill had clouded his better judgment.

Rising up on an elbow, Wesley looked down at her. She was absolutely beautiful, even with fear evident in her bright blue eyes. Using one of his hands, he brushed her hair back from her face, trying not to show the pleasure on his face as she flinched and whimpered. Using that same hand, he pulled the gag away from her mouth.

"It's okay, Nancy," he whispered as he caressed the side of her face. "There's no reason to be afraid anymore. I'm going to take good care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me," Nancy whispered, tears streaming down her face. Please, just leave me alone, Wesley."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that. You're too vulnerable right now. There's no telling what you might try in your current condition."

"Please…"

Wesley smiled as he sat up. "I know what I can do for you, though. Would you like to get cleaned up?"

Before she could say anything, Wesley got off of the bed and walked across the room to the large master bathroom. Turning on the tap, he brought the water to a suitable temperature before adding coconut scented bath gel to the water. Walking back into the bedroom, he quickly undid the ties around her ankles before moving to the headboard and releasing her from the bed, leaving her hands tied together.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave your hands tied," Wesley said as he leaned down to pick her up.

Nancy jerked away from him, shaking uncontrollably. "Don't touch me!"

Ignoring her, Wesley picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, gently placing her inside the bathtub. Before she could pull away from him, he tied the length of the leather cord to the rail, preventing her from going anywhere.

"I don't need you to bathe me, Wesley," Nancy said, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes. "In fact, I don't want anything from you!"

"You're angry right now, Nancy, and I completely understand," Wesley said as he picked up a washrag and began moving it along her body. "I told you I just want to take care of you, if you'll let me."

"You should have thought about that before you decided to rape me." Nancy tried pulling away from him, but he didn't bother paying attention as he continued to bathe her. "You really want to help me, Wesley? Then let me go."

"I can't do that, Nancy."

"You can't keep me like this!"

"I can and I will." Wesley looked up at her, meeting her defiant stare. "It what you do when you love someone."

Nancy instantly stilled, her eyes widening in horror. "What did you say?"

"I love you, Nancy…"

"No," Nancy whispered, shaking her head. "That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because you're incapable of love, Wesley. Look at what you're doing—it's not love."

Wesley gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger. He refused to lash out at her, knowing she was just thrown off and confused. It was a perfectly understandable reaction. She was so caught off-guard, she wasn't sure how to react to the revelation.

"Then what would you call it, Nancy?" Wesley asked softly as he rinsed the soap off of her body.

"Anything but love," Nancy answered. "Love is what I have with Frank. He _loves_ me and he shows it to me every day. And not by hurting me."

Closing his eyes, Wesley tried not to let Frank's name get to him. He could feel his hands shaking, but he wouldn't take it out on her. Counting silently to ten, Wesley opened his eyes to see Nancy staring back at him, as if daring him to contradict what she said.

Instead, he stood up and grabbed a towel before releasing her from the railing. Helping her stand, he wrapped the towel around her body before untying her hands. He nodded to a teal nightgown and her panties he'd gotten from her apartment.

"Get dressed."

"Get out."

"No." Nancy glared at him, but he refused to leave. "You can either dress yourself, Nancy, or I'll do it. The choice is yours."

That was the only motivation she needed as she quickly grabbed the clothes and put them on, ignoring the way he was staring at her body. "You should really get some rest."

"Are you taking me back to the basement?" There was an almost hopeful gleam to her eyes.

Wesley shook his head. "No. You'll be sleeping here in the bedroom where I can keep an eye on you. I still don't trust you not to try anything, Nancy, and I would hate to have to give you another lesson."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Hold your hands out," Wesley said, ignoring her question. At her hesitation, he grabbed her hands and tightly wrapped the leather around her wrists, giving her no wiggle room. He knew what she was capable of, as evidenced by her earlier escape attempt.

Pulling her into the room, he led her back towards the bed. He jerked as Nancy came to a sudden stop, a look of pure terror on her face. He tried pulling her again, but she refused to budge, shaking her head. Tears were forming in her eyes once again, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

"Please…" Nancy begged, her voice catching slightly.

Wesley let out a sigh as he forced her back onto the bed. "Relax, Nancy. We're only going to sleep." Lifting her arms up, he once again tethered her to the headboard before pressing a hand softly against her face. "You were wrong before, you know."

"About what?" Nancy whispered.

"I am capable of love."

Nancy shook her head. "Wesley, this—"

"Ask me for anything and I'll give it to you," Wesley said, unable to mask his own pleading tone. He needed her to know that what he felt for her was different than any of the other women he'd been with and killed.

"Let me go…"

Wesley shook his head. "Anything but that."

Nancy closed her eyes as another sob escaped her lips. She was silent for so long, that he thought she wasn't going to answer him. "You'll give me anything I ask for?"

His eyes went to the engagement ring on her left hand, the light hitting it just right to make the diamond sparkle, almost mocking him. It took everything in him not to rip it off of her finger and throw it across the room. Instead, he took a deep breath and turned his eyes to hers. "Anything."

"Let Ella go."

* * *

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter!**

**Guest (I try to give you warnings when a chapter is going to me a little more intense than the rest. I figure it's only fair!), Michelle Gallichio (Thank you so much! Your support means so much to me!), Caranath (I thought it best that Frank keep it together—he's always been the one to keep a level head, no matter the situation), MinecraftDanny (Glad you like the creepiness!), FreshKicks (Nothing is wrong with you—unless there's something wrong with me as well…), SC15 (Nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of violence, as long as it is fictional!), Xdaisy chainX (Welcome back! And there will definitely be something coming up with Frank and Wesley…), Lady Emily (You can yell at Nancy all you want! I think she needs some yelling!), Cupcake (I have a twisted mind…that's either a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not sure yet…), max2013 (You're very welcome for the warnings—I will always warn you when things are getting bad), kpopluver (Thank you so much and welcome!), SarahE7191 (Not sure how many chapters this will be, but it won't be finished anytime soon. There is a lot more story to tell!), AP (Welcome! Glad you liked it and I am updating as soon as I am able!), Jabba1 (Silence of the Lambs creeps me out so much…and it's definitely going to be hard for the brothers to find her!), catlover1033 (Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful trip! I'm sorry that I stress you out so much with my stories…everyone never knows what to expect from me—which I kind of love!).**

**I apologize for any mistakes, and please, please let me know what you think!**


	17. Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

It was extremely hard for Nancy to keep her eyes on Wesley as he hovered over her when every single part of her just wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. And she would have done it if her hands weren't tied above her head, preventing her from moving very far. If she had been afraid of him before, it was nothing compared to the terror she was feeling now.

In a matter of minutes, Wesley had shattered her world, taking something away from her that would take a long time for her to get back—her sense of security. How was she supposed to face Frank when she couldn't even stand to look at herself now? How could Frank even want to be with her, knowing that she was now tainted by such a vile man?

Sure, Wesley hadn't taken away her innocence—she'd given that to Frank long ago. She would never be able to live with herself if Wesley had stolen that from her.

That was the only silver lining in this nightmare she was now living in.

And now Wesley was seriously trying to tell her that he was in love with her? The psychotic bastard didn't even know what the word was. Did he really think that telling her that was going to make her forgive him for what he'd just done to her? Was he really that delusional?

The simple answer was yes. He really was that delusional. How else would you describe a monster that would rape a woman and then turn around and tell her that he loved her?

That wasn't the kicker though…now he wanted to prove himself to her and give her something that she wanted. Of course, he wouldn't let her go—that would simply be too logical for him to do.

So, even though Nancy felt broken inside, her thoughts a jumbled mess, she somehow still thought of Ella. No way in hell did she want the other young woman to suffer the same fate that she had. She refused to let Wesley touch her and violate her that way he had to her. So, if Nancy could find some way to ensure that Ella got out of this hellhole, then she would take it.

Nancy promised Ella she would get her out of here. And Nancy always kept her promises, no matter the cost to herself.

"You want me to let Ella go?" Wesley asked softly, moving her hair away from her face.

Even though she tried to stop it, Nancy couldn't help but shiver at his touch. More than anything, she wanted him to stop touching her, never wanting to feel his hands on her again. It took a real conscious effort not to begin crying. "You said you would do anything for me, Wesley. That's what I want."

Wesley frowned. "But she's the one thing making you behave at the moment. And I would hate for you to get lonely."

"I'm not worried about being alone." Nancy winced as she pulled against her restraints, trying to subtly move away from him. His body heat was suffocating. "Please, Wesley. You have me—I'm the one you want. Not Ella."

"That's true," Wesley said thoughtfully. "But I have grown really fond of her in these last few days."

"But you don't _need _her."

Wesley chuckled, an amused smile lighting up his face. "Does she make you jealous, Nancy?"

Nancy fought the urge to roll her eyes, especially seeing the way Wesley practically salivated at the thought. She knew he wanted to hear that was the case. And if got him to let Ella go, then Nancy would damn sure play along. "Yes…"

"Really?"

"Why would you want to have someone else here to take all of your attention when you could focus it on me?" Nancy felt sick to her stomach just listening to herself speak to Wesley that way. It really was a good thing that Frank couldn't hear her.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Wesley's smile slowly turned down into a frown. "But what will I do for fun?"

"I'm sure you can find something to occupy your time," Nancy muttered, this time not bothering to stop her eyes from rolling.

"You're absolutely right," Wesley said, his hand suddenly running along her leg to rest in her thigh. "I could find plenty to do with you to occupy my time, Nancy."

Nancy let out a cry, fear causing her body to shiver as she moved her legs away from him. Was this how it was going to be now, anytime a man came near her? Would she react the same way around Frank?

She somehow managed to swallow down the sob lodged in her throat, refusing to let Wesley see her cry. It would only serve to give him more control over her and he already had more than enough. She would be damned if she was going to give him any more.

But that was easier said than done when every time he moved, it caused her to flinch.

Reaching above her head, Wesley released the end of the leather strap from the bed, leaving her hands tightly bound. Jerking her up, he left a trail a kisses along her neck, ignoring the way she whimpered as she squirmed against him. "How about we go give Ella the good news?"

Nancy's eyes widened as she pulled away from him, unsure if she heard him right. "You're going to let Ella go?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you asked me to."

There was no way in hell that it could be that easy, but Nancy wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth—no matter how psychotic said gift horse was. Instead, she let him lead her out of the room and through the house, stopping only when they got to the basement.

Ella quickly jumped up from where she was laying down, gripping the bars of the cage as she took in Nancy's appearance. "Nancy! Are you okay?"

Nancy didn't say anything as Wesley pulled her towards the cage next to Ella's and put her inside, leaving her hands tied together. She glared at him as he stepped out, locking the door behind him. "Is this really necessary?" she asked, holding up her bound hands.

"No," Wesley answered, smirking. "But I have to admit, I love seeing you tied up. It just does something to me."

"You're sick."

"Among other things," Wesley admitted as he took a step back before smiling at Ella. "Good news, Ella—you're about to be free to go."

"What are you talking about?" Ella asked, glancing back and forth between Nancy and Wesley.

"I'll let Nancy fill you in on all the details. I'm going to let the two of you say your goodbyes while I get the car ready." With a small wave, Wesley jogged up the stairs, leaving the two girls alone.

"What is he talking about, Nancy?" Ella asked, her green eyes wide with a mixture of hope and fear.

Now that Nancy was away from Wesley, she didn't see any reason to put up a front. She allowed herself to release the unsteady breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she sank down onto the mattress, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly.

"Nancy?"

"I convinced him to let you go," Nancy said quietly, not looking at Ella. She knew if she looked at the other girl, she was come completely apart.

"How?"

"It doesn't matter. What's important is that you get to go home."

"But what about you?"

Nancy shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere," she answered dully.

"I'm not going to leave here without you, Nancy." Ella dropped beside Nancy, reaching between the bars to touch her arm. She jumped back, startled, as Nancy flinched violently beneath her touch. "Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Did Wesley…" Ella's eyes widened as she put a hand up to her mouth. "Oh, my God."

Nancy knew she didn't have to spell it out for Ella, so she wasn't going to. "You're going to get out of here and not worry about me, Ella. I'll be fine."

"How can you say that?" Ella asked, horrified.

"Please, don't give Wesley a reason to change his mind," Nancy pleaded, reaching over so she could grip the other woman's hand with her bounds ones. "If you really want to help me, then once you get out of here you can do something for me."

"Anything."

"I need you to get in touch with my fiancé. His name is Frank Hardy and he's a private investigator based out of River Heights," Nancy explained hurriedly, not sure when Wesley would come back into the basement. "Wesley probably won't allow you to see where you're going, so you won't be able to tell Frank exactly where I am."

"Then what do I do?"

"Use your other senses. Try to pay attention to curves in the road, any potholes you may hit. Focus on other sounds—trains, industrial sounds, anything that might seem odd or distinguishable from other sounds."

Ella nodded.

"Anything you can use, tell him. He's really good at what he does—he'll be able to help." Nancy hesitated, swallowing hard. "Tell him I'm okay, and please, don't tell him what Wesley did to me. It will only make him lose focus and angry—he'll get reckless. And…tell him that I love him."

"I will, Nancy," Ella said resolutely as the door to the basement opened. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Wesley smiled as he sauntered over to their cages, pulling pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. "I hope the two of you got to say your goodbyes. Ella, if you would be so kind to put your hands out in front of you."

Nancy nodded encouragingly as Ella glanced at her. "It's okay, Ella. Just do what he says."

Ella hesitantly held her hands out for Wesley and he fastened the cuffs around her wrists before unlocking the cage and pulling her out.

"You better keep your word and let her go, Wesley," Nancy said, glaring at him as he ushered Ella towards the stairs.

"I have every intention of keeping my word, Nancy." Wesley turned his head to smile at her. "You really should get some rest. You've had a pretty eventful night and you must be exhausted."

With a final chuckle, Wesley pushed Ella up the stairs, leaving Nancy alone.

It was only then that Nancy allowed herself to break down and cry.

* * *

Ella couldn't help but inhale deeply as she got her first taste of fresh air as Wesley walked her out to the garage. The large door was open, revealing dark skies dotted with thousands of twinkling stars. Tall trees stood in the distance, only their outlines discernible in the cloaking darkness. Through her limited vision, Ella didn't notice any other lights around the property which had to mean that they were in a secluded area.

It was no wonder that Wesley didn't bother gagging them the entire time. Why do it when no one was around to hear you scream? Not only that, it meant it would be that much harder for Ella to give Nancy's fiancé any clue about where she was being held.

Ella didn't let it get her down, though. As long as she did what Nancy said, and paid attention to her other senses, she should be able to point them in the right direction.

At least, she hoped so.

Pulling her to a stop, Wesley popped the trunk and gestured at it. "In you go."

Panic shot through Ella. She didn't want to be enclosed in such a tight space, not for any length of time. It didn't matter if it was five minutes or five hours—claustrophobia was a real concern for her.

"You can either climb in yourself or I can put you inside," Wesley said, his eyes darkening with malice. "And believe me, you want to pick the first option."

Ella swallowed down the lump in her throat before taking a deep breath. She could do this, especially if it meant that she was going to get to go home. Lifting up her leg, she climbed inside and lay down inside the cavernous space, trying to get as comfortable as possible. Wesley reached beside her and pulled out a roll of duct tape and proceeded to wrap it around her ankles a few times before tearing it off.

"Comfy?" Wesley asked, smirking.

"Like a baby," Ella answered, rolling her eyes.

"Good." Wesley started to close the trunk, but stopped himself. "Oh, I did forget one important thing."

Ella suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What's that?"

Reaching into the waistband of his jeans, Wesley pulled out a wicked looking blade with a serrated edge. "This."

"You told Nancy you were going to let me go!" Ella said, trying to move away in the cramped space. Unfortunately, there was only so far she could move.

"I am letting you go. But I never said anything about not hurting you," Wesley said with a cock of his head. "Besides, how would that look for me if I let you go without a scratch?"

"Please, don't do this. Take me back to the basement. I'll go willingly!"

"That's very admirable of you, but I'm afraid I can't do that."

Ella let out a terrified scream as Wesley brought the knife down, sinking the blade into her stomach. Pain was instantaneous and blinding for only a second and for a moment, Ella was confused by it. It should hurt more than it did.

Her opinion quickly changed when he jerked the knife back out. Her blood was warm as it trickled out of her wound, saturating her shirt. Ella put her hand on the injuring, trying to stem the flow of blood as she let out a pained sob.

"Don't worry, Ella. The wound is only fatal if you don't get help within the next few hours. As long as you keep your hands pressed against it, you should be okay." Tearing a strip of tape off the roll, Wesley leaned forward and placed it over her mouth, muffling her whimpers.

"Let's hit the road, shall we?"

* * *

**Sorry that I haven't updated sooner, but I have a family emergency that I am currently dealing with and will be dealing with in the days to come. I will still try to update quickly, but I just want you to be aware of what might prevent me from doing so.**

**I cannot thank you guys enough for all of the positive reviews I received for the previous chapter. The support I received from you was unbelievable and left me speechless at times. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.**

**Alicia Hardy (I love bringing characters to life and making them as human as possible. I am so happy that you liked it! And allow me to apologize now for hurting both Nancy and Ella…), Michelle Gallichio (It was very difficult to write, so thank you! I don't think that Nancy has to really give Wesley a reason to hurt her—it's something that he enjoys doing), Angelvie S (Thank you so much…and we'll wait and see about Nancy and Frank), SC15 (Wesley is definitely trying to manipulate her…psychological torture at its finest), MinecraftDanny (Thank you…still more creepiness to come!), catlover1033 (Nancy has slept with Frank, earlier in the story. So, Wesley at least didn't take that from her), Caranath (Even though something so horrible and traumatic happened to Nancy, I still feel it would be in her character that she would still think of others before herself. If she wasn't going to be able to win her freedom, then she would at least try to win Ella's), FreshKicks (Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!), W00W (Thank you so much—your word mean a lot!), Cupcake (I really appreciate your support—you absolutely define what a fan is by sticking with me through the good and the bad, so it really means the world to me to have readers like you!), max2013 (Please don't come after me—Wesley, yes but not me!), misslady92 (Welcome back! You're exactly right about fighting a helpless situation. You can fight as hard as you want and more times than not, it's simply not enough), VerityD (Thank you so much for your private message—it really made me proud of what I had written), LilyoftheValley4 (It's hard to explain Wesley's motivations so the only explanation I can come up with is that he has a skewed vision of what love is. He's been infatuated with her for quite some time, so he doesn't see her as another of his victims. Because she survived him the first time, he sees her as different—someone worth keeping instead of killing like the others), dolphingirl7 (I agree with Nancy's personality—it's just who she is), Megaledon (Welcome! Thank you so much and I am so sorry to know that you were almost in a similar situation. I have a friend who unfortunately was in that type of situation), Jabba1 (Nope, Nancy isn't getting any breaks this time…), and Editor Chick (I really thank you for your critique and I will try my best to remedy my errors).**

**In case you're wondering, the story is not coming to an end any time soon. There is a lot more in store…**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	18. Seventeen

**Seventeen**

* * *

Frank let out a heavy sigh as he got into his car and closed the door. It was the first moment of silence he had gotten since getting the phone call about the murdered police officer. He'd spent the last few hours at the police station with Chief McGinnis going over the evidence collected from the scene of the crime—or lack thereof. Joe had cut out a couple of hours earlier, saying that he needed to get back to Vanessa.

Not that Frank could really blame him. It was exactly where his brother should be. He should be holding onto Vanessa for all he was worth, because there simply wasn't a guarantee that it wouldn't be taken away tomorrow.

Just look at him and Nancy.

A few hours ago, they were smiling and finally getting a handle on things after living in the dark for the last few months. All it took was one lapse of judgment and she had been taken away from him again, possibly to never be seen again.

Everyone told him that it wasn't his fault, which was all good and well to hear. But Frank knew deep in his heart that he was the only one to blame. If only he'd just let Joe go to Indianapolis by himself. If only he'd agreed to let Nancy come with him, then they would be snuggled up in bed, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies.

Frank could sit there and blame himself all night—and he would. But he'd also reached a decision as he sat in the office with Chief McGinnis, one that he was sure would only anger his little brother. He couldn't worry about that though—he needed to do what was best for Joe and if that meant keeping him away from Nancy's abduction, then that was what he was going to do.

He refused to allow Joe and Vanessa—especially Vanessa—to get on Wesley's radar. He refused to lose anyone else who was close to him to the sadistic killer.

Heaving another hefty sigh, Frank put the car in gear and started pulling out of the parking lot when his cell phone rang. He reached into his jacket pocket and glanced at the screen, seeing that it was Joe. "Hey, Joe. What's up?"

"_Are you still at the police station?"_

"No, I'm heading home to try to get some sleep. There's nothing I can do right now and I'm not going to do Nancy any good if I'm exhausted." Frank slowed down for a red light. "What are you doing calling me so late anyway? It's almost two in the morning."

"_I'm actually about to head back to Bayport."_

"Why? What's going on?" Frank asked, instantly thinking something was wrong with their parents. He pressed on the gas as the light turned green, turning onto the road that led to his apartment complex. "Is it Mom and Dad?"

"_No, they're fine," _Joe quickly assured him. _"It's actually Andrea."_

Frank knew that Andrea was Vanessa's mother, and that they happened to be really close. "Is she okay?"

"_We're not sure. The hospital just called Van and told her that Andrea had been involved in a car accident on her way home from work. They said it was pretty serious, but they wouldn't tell us anymore than that." _Joe's voice became muffled as he said something to Vanessa. _"Normally, I wouldn't leave in the middle of a case, especially when it involves Nancy, but Van doesn't want to make the trip by herself."_

"No, that's fine, Joe," Frank said quickly, glad that his brother was going to get away from the area. The reason wasn't exactly favorable, but Frank would take any help he could get. "You should be with Vanessa right now."

"_Are you sure?"_ Joe asked, uncertainty clear in his voice.

"Absolutely."

"_I just hate to leave you behind, Frank. I know you're not having an easy time with Nancy's abduction."_

"I'm not going to do anything crazy, if that's what you're thinking, Joe," Frank said as he pulled into his parking spot, turning the ignition off. "I plan on rescuing Nancy, Joe—not getting her killed because of my stupidity."

"_I just hate that this had to happen now."_

Frank chuckled lightly as he ran a hand through his hair. "You can't control fate, Joe, no matter how determined you may be."

"_The same could be said for you," _Joe shot back. _"I better go. Vanessa and I have a flight to catch."_

"Call me as soon as you get there."

"_I will." _Joe hesitated before speaking again. _"Frank, just promise me that you'll be careful. It's bad enough that we lost Nancy, but I don't need to lose you, too."_

Frank couldn't help but feel comforted by his younger brother's concern. "I promise, Joe."

"_Call me if anything happens."_

"Definitely." Frank hung up the phone, resting his head against the seat. While he would miss having his brother by his side and he felt horrible about Vanessa's mother, he was happy they would both be out of harm's way.

As he opened the door and stepped out into the cold night, Frank couldn't help but remain occupied by his troubling thoughts about Nancy. Which would explain why he didn't notice Wesley stepping out of the shadows, a cruel smile stretched across his face, until he was practically in front of him.

Frank instinctively reached for his gun that he kept at his side for emergencies, but remembered that he'd left it in the apartment this morning. He could have kicked himself for being so stupid.

"What's the matter, Frank?" Wesley asked with a smirk. "You look a little startled to see me. You really should pay closer attention to your surroundings. Imagine how easy it would have been for me to kill you if that had been my intention tonight."

It took a few solid seconds for Frank to realize that the killer was standing right before him, that it wasn't his imagination. It took another few seconds for him to actually find his voice, not surprised when it was strangled. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Wesley asked, feigning confusion.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about," Frank said through clenched teeth, his hands fisted tightly by his sides. It took every amount of control he had not to close the distance between them and nail Wesley in the face. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that it wouldn't do Nancy any good.

"Oh, Nancy's safe and secure." Wesley's smile grew even wider. "Or, perhaps I should say secured. She's locked up nice and tight."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would bring her car back to you. It's not as if she's going to be using it any time soon."

Frank glanced away from Wesley quick enough to see Nancy's car parked a few places away from her usual spot. How the hell had he missed that when he drove in? Was he really that distracted that he couldn't even pay attention to the simplest details?

All of a sudden, fiery hot rage raced through his veins—whether it was at himself for being so careless or at Wesley and for what he was doing to Nancy, or a mixture of both—he wasn't sure. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to wipe that smile right off the bastard's face. Sure, it may come back to bite him in the ass if Wesley decided to punish Nancy for his behavior, but if Frank had his way when this was over, Wesley wouldn't be going back to Nancy.

Without any warning, Frank launched himself at the other man, wrapping his arms around his stomach and tackling him to the unforgiving concrete. Wesley did nothing more than let out a loud grunt as the air rushed out of his lungs before he pushed Frank off of him, sending him crashing into the back of his car.

Frank shook his head, barely dodging Wesley's fist as it flew at his face before throwing an uppercut of his own, feeling a sense of satisfaction at it made contact with Wesley's skin with a loud smack. Taking advantage of Wesley's disorientation, Frank once again tackled him into the ground and began punching him repeatedly in the face.

Wesley didn't even bother fighting back as he took blow after blow. Instead, he began chuckling until it blossomed into full-blown laughter.

"What the hell is so funny?" Frank demanded, gripping Wesley's shirt and jerking him closer.

"Every second that you spend taking out all of your frustration on me is another second she gets closer to death."

That instantly made Frank pause. "You said Nancy was safe."

"I'm not talking about Nancy, you idiot."

Frank frowned in confusion, unsure who Wesley could possibly be talking about. He was so distracted by who the killer was talking about that he allowed Wesley to get the upper hand and push him off of him and into one of the car. Frank let out a grunt, momentarily seeing stars as his head bounced against the back bumper.

Wesley strolled over to him, smiling before delivering a sharp kick to his ribs. He then lowered himself until he was eye level with Frank. "I want you to take a good look at my face, Frank. I want you to see every bruise, every cut, every streak of blood…and then I want you to know I'm going to go back and make _her _pay for your transgressions."

"No…" Frank said, wincing in pain as he tried to move, causing a sharp pain to shoot through his chest. He really hoped that Wesley's kick hadn't broken a rib.

Standing up, Wesley looked down at him. "I'll be sure to tell Nancy you said hello." Reaching into his pocket, Wesley pulled out the keys to Nancy's car and tossed them down on the ground. Then, with a final kick to Frank's midsection, he turned and walked out of the parking garage.

Frank turned over on his back, groaning in pain. He shouldn't have been so careless and allowed his emotions cloud his judgment. If he hadn't, then he could have found a way to subdue Wesley until the police managed to show up and finally put an end to this nightmare. Instead, he'd let his anger get in the way and managed to get one, possibly two broken ribs in the process.

"Son of a…bitch," Frank bit out, clutching his side. He knew he needed to get up and get himself to a hospital, knowing the injury could potentially cause a punctured lung if he didn't get it treated.

Bracing himself against the impending stab of pain he knew was coming, Frank scooted back against the closest car and pushed himself up to a hunched over standing position. He gave himself a few seconds before taking a deep breath and rising to his full height, almost collapsing back to the ground as a white hot, blinding pain shot through his body.

Frank cursed up a storm as he hit the trunk of the car repeatedly, until the pain finally subsided to somewhat tolerable. He turned towards his car, but stopped when a soft thud caught his attention. His eyes darted around the empty parking garage, thinking that it was Wesley coming back to finish the job.

The noise sounded again and his eyes narrowed on Nancy's car.

Slowly making his way towards the vehicle, he glanced inside the windows and saw there was no one inside. He almost put it off to his imagination when he heard the distinctive thump again—it was coming from the trunk. Opening the driver's side door, Frank bent down carefully and pulled the lever to open the back compartment.

He wasn't prepared for what he found when the lid lifted up. A young woman was staring back up at him with glazed over eyes, her midsection completely covered in blood. Frank didn't need to look at her picture to confirm who he was looking at—Ella Jacobs. She made a mewing sound behind the tape before her eyes slowly drifted closed.

"Shit!" Frank immediately forgot about his own injury as he reached into the trunk and lifted her out, nearly blacking out from the overwhelming pain of his broken rib. Gritting his teeth, he gently placed her on the ground and removed the tape from her mouth. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone as he felt for her pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he found a faint one.

"_Nine-one-one, what is your—"_

Frank didn't give the operator a chance to finish her greeting. "I found a woman who's been stabbed. She's lost a lot of blood and she's barely breathing."

The operator instantly started firing off questions and Frank answered them tersely, begging her to hurry up before hanging up the phone. Ella moaned softly, her green eyes fluttering open as they tried to focus on Frank.

"You're okay now, Ella. Help is on the way."

"You're…ank…" Ella murmured, her eyes drifting closed once again.

Frank frowned before realizing she was asking if he was Frank—which only meant that Nancy told her about him. He seized on the words, gripping her a little tighter as he shook her gently, trying to get her to wake up again. "Did Nancy tell you about me? Did you see her? Is she okay?"

"N-no…" Ella uttered before her head fell to the side, losing consciousness once more.

He stared down at her in disbelief, trying to figure out what her answer meant. Nancy had to tell the young woman about him, because how else would she know who he was? Which also meant that she had to see Nancy?

As the sound of sirens grew louder in the distance, Frank felt an icy feeling form in the pit of his stomach. Ella's answer could only mean one thing—Nancy wasn't okay.

Which begged the question: What the hell did Wesley do to her?

* * *

**Sorry to all of my Joe lovers out there—but for the flow of the story to continue the way I want it to, I had to occupy him with something else. But don't fret—that only means I will have to give you a Joe whumping story in the near future!**

**So, the family emergency hasn't gone away, which explains the delay in the updates. To explain it a little bit more so you understand, my uncle is dying so we're trying to spend as much time with him as possible. We're not sure how much longer he has—it could be hours, days, weeks…we just don't know. Because of this, I'm picking up the slack at him so my mom can be with her brother, which doesn't give me as much time to write. Not to mention, I can't concentrate as I would like when he's on my mind, since I'm very close to him.**

**Since I have little time to spare at the moment, I won't be able to comment on your reviews this time around, but I would still like to thank everyone: Alicia Hardy, max2013, Caranath, Cupcake, MinecraftDanny, Michelle Gallichio, misslady92, SC15, FreshKicks, Lady Emily, catlover1033, Guest, dolphingirl7, and dares to dream. I really appreciate all of you guys and everyone who continues to add me to their update and favorites lists.**

**I apologize for any mistakes and please let me know what you think!**


	19. Eighteen

**Eighteen**

* * *

Nancy couldn't remember the last time she had cried so much as she sat imprisoned in the steel cage, but she did nothing to stop the tears. She didn't even try to stop the sobs as they wracked her body; after all, there was no reason to be strong when no one was there to watch her. She allowed herself this moment of weakness, crying until there were no more tears to shed, only the occasional chocking sob as her body tried to recuperate from the emotional upheaval.

There wasn't one single reason why she was crying—there were many, stemming from when Wesley had taken her three months ago. He'd tortured and nearly killed her, only to come back and rip her away from her life once again. Now, in the course of a few hours she'd been kidnapped, forced to watch another girl's murder, raped, and locked away in a cage as if she was some kind of animal.

So, yes…she allowed herself the breakdown that had been cultivating for months, unleashing all of her pent up emotions in one fell crying swoop. Did she feel weak from doing it?

Hell no.

In fact, she felt better than she had in quite a while. Maybe it was what she needed all along.

Nancy took a deep breath, wiping away the remaining tears from her face with her bound hands. She sat up and her eyes instantly fell on Kate's body still lying splayed out on the table. The smell of death was beginning to permeate the air, the process of decomposition already beginning. She couldn't help the shudder that ran through her body as the memory of Kate's brutal murder flashed in her mind.

It was obvious Wesley had become more heinous with his murders. That was saying a lot, especially since what he had put the women through with his previous murders. They were horrific in their own right. But what he was doing now was simply barbaric.

Nancy could only be grateful that she'd managed to get Ella out of there.

Now it was time to focus on herself. She needed to find a way to get out of the cage before Wesley came back. She wasn't simply going to sit around and wait for him to come back so he could do something else to her. Yes, she was still having a hard time grasping the fact that he had raped her, but it only made her more determined to fight.

And she was going to give him one hell of a fight.

Standing up on shaky legs, Nancy moved around her prison, eyes taking in all of the details of her surroundings. She already knew there wasn't any weakness with any of the bars, but if she could find something to pick the lock with, then she would be that much closer to freedom.

Nancy took her time, letting her eyes fall on every single surface, crevice and shadow. If there was something to be found, she was going to find it.

As soon as her gaze landed in Ella's vacated cage, she found it and her heart nearly soared out of her chest. She was looking at a detective's best friend when it came to picking locks—a bobby pin.

Ella must have had one in her hair that had fallen out. Though she knew it wasn't left behind intentionally, Nancy still sent a silent thank you to the other girl as she bent down and tried to reach for it with her bounds hands. She couldn't hold back her cry of frustration as she came up a few inches too short.

No matter how far she stretched her arms, she simply couldn't reach it. The bobby pin sat there, almost as if it was taunting her.

Nancy refused to give up. If she couldn't reach it with her hands, then she would have to use her feet. While there wasn't much space between the bars, she was sure her leg would fit through without getting stuck.

At least, she hoped so anyway.

Angling her body, Nancy held onto the bars as she stretched her leg forward as far as it would go. "What I wouldn't give to be Inspector Gadget right now," she muttered as felt the tip of the pin against her heel.

Nancy didn't allow herself to get overconfident. She knew she needed to take her time, because one little slipup could be detrimental. And Nancy refused to let her eagerness ruin this for her, no matter how anxious she was to escape from her prison.

Drawing in a deep breath, Nancy focused all of her attention on her foot and the bobby pin. Gritting her teeth, Nancy slowly brought her foot forward, inching the pin closer. She knew she was wasting precious seconds by taking her time, but she didn't care.

She at least had to get her hands on it before Wesley came back.

Finally, after a few more agonizing moments, she finally had the bobby pin close enough where she could reach it with her hands. Pulling her foot out the rest of the way, she turned her body around and reached inside Ella's cage, gripping the pin between her fingers.

"Thank God," she whispered, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the bars. She only allowed herself a few moments to rest before she stood up on shaky legs and walked over to the door. Again, patience was going to have to prevail, and while she was normally not a patient person, she would find the strength to be one now.

Straightening the pin with her bounds hands was awkward, but she didn't let it hinder her efforts and soon, she had the end inserted into the lock, teasing the tumbler. Once again, Nancy concentrated all of her effort into the task at hand, not letting herself become anxious. She focused on Frank and the way his brown eyes sparkled as a smile stretched across his handsome face. What she wouldn't give to see that smile again.

Nancy let out a surprised gasp as the lock finally turned over, the door swinging open, nearly causing her to lose her balance. At first, she just stood there, not willing to believe that freedom was right in front of her. She quickly let go of that niggle of doubt and stepped out of the cage, her eyes instantly lighting upon a knife.

Picking it up, Nancy carefully cut away at the leather straps around her wrists, letting out a hiss as they snapped apart. It hurt like a bitch as the circulation rushed back into her hands, feeling like pins and needles repeatedly being stuck into her flesh.

Still clutching the knife in her hand, Nancy cautiously made her way up the staircase, hoping the door wouldn't be locked. It would really suck to get this far, only to have the door be locked. Thankfully, luck was on her side as the knob turned easily in her hand.

Nancy wasted no time as she opened the door and stepped out into the dark hallway. Silence greeted her from every direction, not even the normal creaks of a house piercing the quiet. It struck her as a little odd, but then again, she learned to expect the unexpected when it came to anything that pertained to Wesley.

She made her way towards what she thought was the garage, needing to get to her car. It didn't matter that she didn't know where she was. If she just started driving, she could find some kind of landmark, or the local police station.

That was her goal—find help and get back home.

When she opened the door, Nancy found that she was in fact, in the garage. But what greeted her made her stomach drop. The garage was empty.

Her car was gone.

"Why can't anything be easy, just for once?" Nancy muttered, running a hand through her hair. She didn't expect it to be easy at every single turn, but why did it seem as if the world was constantly at war with her?

She didn't let herself dwell on her thoughts for long. Her first option may be a bust, but that didn't mean there weren't others. There had to be a phone somewhere in the house. She knew that landlines weren't as common anymore because of cell phones, but she really hoped that Wesley was one of the few who held on to one.

Nancy stepped back into the house, but this time it felt different. It was still eerily quiet, but there was something else now, like an additional cloak of darkness—an evilness that had been missing minutes before.

Wesley.

Heart hammering in her chest, Nancy turned around only to collide with a warm wall of resistance. Her eyes widened in horror as she slowly looked up to see Wesley smiling down her. A scream tore from her throat as she pushed against him and took off blindly in the opposite direction. Wesley had her at a disadvantage since she didn't know the layout of the house, but Nancy prided herself on being a quick learner.

She needed to find somewhere to hide.

And a phone.

"Imagine my surprise when I walked down to the basement to find that you were gone, Nancy," Wesley's voice called behind her, his footsteps slow and deliberate. "It was quite a shock, I assure you."

Nancy ignored him as she quietly made her way down the hallway. There were several doors on either side of her, but she ignored the first two, thinking Wesley would assume she went in either of those rooms. She also didn't dare go into either of the last doors, since that would be just as obvious. All she needed to do was either find a phone or distract Wesley enough so she could get to the front door and run.

"You should know by now that I love the chase, Nancy. I get off on it, actually." Wesley chuckled, but it held no humor. "How about as soon as I catch you, we head back to the bedroom? I'm up for round two if you are."

A chill raced down her spine at his words. There was no way in hell she could let him catch her again, put his vile hands all over her. It took everything in her to hold back the sob that threatened to escape her throat as she opened the door and positioned herself behind it.

_Please, don't let him find me. Please, just let me get out of here._

Wesley's footsteps echoed loudly against the hardwood floor, each step sounding like the beat of a drum. "Don't bother looking for a phone. The only one in the house is resting comfortably in my back pocket."

_He could be bluffing_, Nancy thought to herself. She couldn't trust anything that Wesley said.

One by one, the doors opened with a loud bang, Wesley not bothering to be stealthy. He wanted her to know exactly where he was. It was like he'd told her—he got off on it. Nancy knew that without a doubt. She held her breath as the door to the room she was in opened with a loud creak and Wesley stepped inside.

The darkness didn't even deter him as he moved further into the room. Nancy slowly eased out of her hiding spot, inching her way towards the open doorway. She turned her back on him for just a second, but that was all it took for Wesley to grab her as her feet brushed the threshold. Nancy let out a terrified scream as she struggled to tear herself out of his bruising grip.

"Did you really think I was that gullible, Nancy?" He made a _tsk_ sound in her ear. "You really should give me more credit than that."

"Let me go!" Nancy screamed as she clawed at his arms, but he only tightened his grip as he dragged her out of the room and into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and slammed her into it before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Jerking her hands behind her back, he snapped them on and closed them tightly.

Wesley crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at her. "Care to tell me how you got out of the basement?"

"Kiss my ass, you son of a bitch!"

"Gladly," Wesley said with a lewd smile. "As soon as you tell me how you got out of there."

"Maybe you're not as clever as you think you are."

"And maybe you're more clever than I gave you credit for." Stepping away from the counter, Wesley reached into a paper bag and pulled out a box.

Nancy instantly recognized the box—a girl was flashing a blinding white smile, her dark hair shiny and full of life. She'd seen those boxed hundreds of times but had never been tempted to try it herself.

It was hair color.

"I've been meaning to tell you that the grey was starting to show in your hair," Nancy said, smirking. "Maybe it's the stress of killing all of those innocent people."

Wesley chuckled as he opened the box and pulled the items out. Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, he began the preparation for the dye. "This isn't for me, Nancy. If you're going out in public with me, we're going to have to do something about that hair of yours. As gorgeous of a color it is, it's highly recognizable." He flashed her a dazzling smile as he shook the bottle , mixing the chemicals. "Besides, I've always had a thing for brunettes."

There was nothing Nancy could do as he approached her with the bottle of hair dye. She had never been afraid of something so innocuous as a box of hair dye in her life. But she knew what it meant—there was no way in hell Wesley was about to kill her anytime soon. To do something like this meant he had a plan.

A plan she surely wasn't going to like.

Nancy let out a gasp as he grabbed a section of her hair, the cold liquid sending shivers down her spine as it touched her scalp. "Please, don't do this, Wesley. Just let me go home."

"You are home," Wesley murmured as he continued to saturate her hair. "We're going to have a very long life together, Nancy."

"My life is with Frank."

Wesley gave a violent jerk to her hair, turning her face up to look at him. "You will not mention his name again, do you understand? You're with me now, Nancy. And you might as well get it through that thick skull of yours that I'm not letting you go—_ever_."

Nancy stared up at him with tears in her eyes, but she refused to let anymore spill for Wesley. He'd already taken enough of them from her. "I don't understand why you're doing this, Wesley."

Letting go of her hair, Wesley applied more hair color, gently rubbing it in as he finished with each section. "What don't you understand, Nancy?"

"Any of this. Why haven't you killed me like the others? I know it pissed you off when I got away from you the first time, so why are you going to all of this trouble for me?" Nancy cut him off before he could say anything. "And don't say it has anything to do with love. I know you don't really love me."

"Don't presume to know my feelings, Nancy." Gathering her hair up to the top of her head, Wesley shucked his gloves and threw everything into a trash can. Then, he grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the faucet before returning to her side and wiping away the excess dye from her skin. "After all, I let Ella go for you, didn't I?"

Nancy swallowed hard, trying not to flinch from his touch. "Did you really?"

"Do you not believe me?" Wesley asked. "You don't see her around, do you?"

"That's not what I mean, Wesley. Did you hurt her?"

Wesley said nothing as he finished wiping away at her face.

Nancy felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. His silence confirmed her fears. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. "What did you do to her?"

Wesley smiled. "I couldn't very well just let her go unharmed, could I?"

"You son of a bitch!" Nancy screamed, struggling against the metal cuffs. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk from the bastard's face or take one of the knives and carve into him the way he'd done to Kate. "You said you would let her go!"

"And you never said anything about her being unharmed." He shook his head in mock disapproval. "You really should be more specific with your requests, Nancy."

"I hope you rot in Hell. How's that for specific?"

"You're so beautiful when you're angry."

Nancy gritted her teeth, refusing to say anything more to Wesley. She couldn't believe the amount of rage racing through her body. She couldn't remember a time she had been so furious in her life. This was all a game to Wesley—that's all it was. He didn't care who got hurt or killed in the process as long as it was played by his rules.

They sat in silence, Wesley staring intently at her and Nancy refusing to look at him, until he stood up and unlocked the cuffs from the chair. Pulling her up to her feet, he brought Nancy over to the sink and pushed her head under the faucet, turning the water on to rinse the dye from her hair.

Nancy tried kicking back at him, but he quickly saw what she was doing and stepped behind her, fitting his body flush against hers. She couldn't help but whimper as she felt his bulge press against her, causing him to chuckle.

After her hair was rinsed clean, Wesley wrapped a towel around her head and led her back towards the bedroom she'd been in earlier. Walking past the bed, he ushered her towards the bathroom and sat her down on the edge of the tub before grabbing a brush and the hairdryer.

"I can do that myself," Nancy muttered as she watched him.

"I know you can," Wesley said as he removed the towel from her head. "But such an intimate moment should be shared between two people, don't you agree?"

"No."

Wesley ignored her as he pulled the brush through her damp hair, removing the tangles before proceeding to blow dry her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy noticed the dark brown color and her heart sank. He was taking everything away from her, turning her into a completely different person—one she was sure she wouldn't recognize before long.

And that scared her much more than she cared to admit.

After a few minutes, Wesley turned the hairdryer off and moved around to stand directly in front of Nancy, fluffing out her hair. "Beautiful…" Pulling her up, he moved her in front of the mirror so she could see her reflection. "What do you think?"

Nancy couldn't help but choke on a sob as she saw herself. Her hair was dark—almost a shade darker than Frank's brown hair that she loved so much. It made her blue eyes even brighter, but she felt as if she was staring back at a stranger.

"Don't cry, Nancy. There's no need for tears."

"Just leave me alone," Nancy whispered, closing her eyes in defeat.

"Maybe you just need to sleep on it for the night," Wesley said softly as he led her out of the bathroom and towards the bed.

Nancy didn't even fight him as he forced her onto her stomach once she was on the bed. She was utterly exhausted—emotionally and physically. She watched numbly as he reached into the nightstand and pulled out several lengths of rope.

"This may be a little extreme, but I'm afraid I can't trust you not to try to get away," Wesley said as he began wrapping a length of rope above her elbows before bringing it down to wrap around her wrists, trading it out for the handcuffs. Taking another length of rope, he wound it around her ankles before bringing them up to meet with her wrists, tying them off together and leaving her in a hogtie.

Nancy tried to find slack in the ropes, but she had to admit, she didn't give it as much effort as she usually would. There just wasn't anything left for her to give at the moment. As much as she feared to close her eyes, she just wanted to sleep and forget about everything.

Wesley turned her over onto her side, making her a little more comfortable before covering her with a blanket. He knelt down beside her, brushing the hair away from her face. "By the way, I should let you know that I saw Frank tonight. He didn't seem too happy to see me."

For the first time, Nancy noticed the bruises marring Wesley's usually handsome face. A flutter of excitement went through her body as she realized that Frank had done that to him. She couldn't help the small smile that flashed briefly on her face.

"I wouldn't be smiling, Nancy. Before I left him with a few parting gifts of my own, he wanted you to know that he said hi." Wesley chuckled darkly at the look of fear that marred her features before rising to his feet. "Sweet dreams, Nancy. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

* * *

**I want to first thank everyone for their words of encouragement and condolences. Unfortunately, my uncle did pass away on August 22****nd****, and while it is heartbreaking, at least I can be content with the fact that he is no longer suffering. And as fate would have it, on top of dealing with that, I am now battling a nasty cold and laryngitis.**

**Much like Nancy at the moment, I simply cannot win.**

**Since I am pretty much running on medication and fumes, I won't be able to reply to each review like I usually do. But I still want to thank everyone for their reviews for the last chapter: Angelvie S, misslady92, Caranath, Michelle Gallichio, max2013, pen4lew, Cupcake, Abz, SC15, FreshKicks, Xdaisy chainX, Jabba1, dolphingirl7, Lady Emily, VerityD, Guest, and MinecraftDanny.**

**Again, thank you so much for your kind words and support. They have really helped me in this difficult time.**

**I apologize for any mistakes and please, let me know what you think. **


	20. Nineteen

**Nineteen**

* * *

Frank was sure this had to be the longest night of his life. He honestly couldn't remember when the day began, and he was pretty sure that it wasn't about to end any time soon. In fact, he knew it wouldn't really end until he had Nancy back in his arms. There would be no rest for him until she was back where she belonged.

Instead of being back at his apartment and getting some much needed rest, he was now sitting in the triage unit of the emergency room, waiting for the doctor to finish taping up his ribs. According to the doctor, he'd been lucky. He didn't have a broken rib—just a couple of cracked ribs that would heal with rest and time.

Too bad that Frank didn't have either of those options at the moment.

As much as he knew he needed to sit still and let the doctor finish with the bandaging, Frank couldn't help but feel antsy. The only thing he wanted to do was find where they'd put Ella and talk to her. He had a feeling she would be the best lead to finding Nancy.

He just prayed that she could tell him where Wesley had kept her.

Doubtful, but he would take any sliver of hope being thrown his way.

"Looks like that will do it," the physician said as he put on the last piece of tape. "How does that feel?"

Frank tried to take a deep breath, wincing as the wrapping tightened its grip around his torso. "If breathing's supposed to be a difficulty, then I say it feels great."

The doctor looked apologetic as the nurse came around to Frank's other side and helped him with his shirt. "It's going to hurt like hell, but when you do it at home, you need to make sure it' that tight each time. It's the only way they'll heal properly."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said, getting onto his feet. "Unfortunately, this isn't my first set of cracked ribs."

"Then I don't need to give you the usual spiel. That saves us both some time." The doctor smiled as he gave Frank a pat on the shoulder. "Seriously, just try to take it easy and get some rest."

Frank ignored him as he grabbed his jacket. "Do you know where they took the girl I came in with?"

"Last I heard, she was still in surgery."

"Which floor?"

"Third. I'll let the staff up there know you're coming up as soon as you're discharged."

Frank held out his hand and shook the doctor's. "Thanks, Doc."

Fifteen minutes later, Frank was taking the elevator up to the third floor. There was a bustle of activity as soon as the doors opened, but he paid it no mind as he walked to the nurse's station, letting them know that he would be sitting in the waiting room. Before going inside, he stopped at the vending machine and bought a cup of coffee, knowing that it would likely taste like crap. But if it managed to keep him awake, then he would drink the entire hospital supply.

He was relieved to see that the waiting room was relatively empty, save for a couple sitting by the door, holding hands. A pang of jealousy went through his body as he watched the way they stayed huddled together, heads touching. He couldn't help but wish it was him and Nancy sitting there together.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Frank took a seat in the far corner, letting out a heavy sigh. The television in the corner was playing a late-night infomercial, advertising the next greatest technology of non-stick cookware. He couldn't stop the grimace on his face as he took a sip of the strong brew, but merely shrugged and took another reluctant sip of it. He was just about to settle back in his chair and close his eyes when two men in suits seemed to appear in front of him out of thin air.

Frank knew immediately who they were even before they flashed their badges.

FBI.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would finally show up," Frank muttered as he sat up, running a hand across his face. A five o'clock shadow was starting to form, but he couldn't bother himself with caring. Shaving wasn't exactly on his list of priorities at the moment.

"I'm Agent Craig and this is my partner, Agent Whalen." The man who made the introductions was bald and a little heavy around the mid-section, with piercing gray eyes. His partner was the exact opposite—rail thin with thinning dark hair and brown eyes. Frank bit back a chuckle as he realized who they reminded him of—Laurel and Hardy.

Hardy…okay, Frank couldn't help but laugh at that. The agents only gave him a strange look as they reached into their pockets for their badges.

"Save yourself some time and don't bother with those," Frank said, regaining his stoic composure. "You'll have to forgive me for being slightly annoyed with the fact that it took the FBI long enough to get involved."

"What makes you think we haven't been involved?" Craig asked, crossing his arms over his chest, only to have them rest on his belly. Frank wondered how difficult it was for him to do field work in his shape, considering agents usually needed to be in tiptop shape.

"Considering you haven't been beating my door down before now tells me that you haven't been," Frank said. "If so, then I'm pretty damn sure that my fiancée wouldn't be missing right now."

"I can understand your frustration, Mr. Hardy," Whalen said, holding out a placating hand to him. "We have been working the case of former Agent Levine from the sidelines. We honestly didn't think he would be stupid enough to go after Miss Drew again, especially since we've been having her watched since the day she was released from the hospital."

"Why the hell wasn't I notified about this?"

"We thought it best to keep it to ourselves, not wanting to alert Levine to our presence," Craig explained. "The fewer people who knew about it, the less risk of tipping him off."

"And how did that work out for you?" Frank couldn't help the angry tone that had seeped into his voice. They had been watching Nancy for months, and yet the asshole still managed to take her right from underneath them.

"It was an oversight on our part," Whalen admitted. "He managed to apprehend her during a shift change. The agent assigned to her takes full responsibility for the unfortunate event."

"Unfortunate event?" Frank repeated, rising out of his chair, trying not to wince in pain. Both agents took a step back, and Frank couldn't help but feel slightly satisfied at the way they tensed. "You call Nancy being kidnapped by a serial killer an unfortunate event."

The agents looked at each other, but neither dared to say anything.

"Did Chief McGinnis know you were watching Nancy?" If the chief knew anything about this, Frank was pretty sure he would end up going nuclear on the entire River Heights Police Department. There would simply be no end to his rage.

"Again, the fewer people who knew, the lesser the risk to Miss Drew," Craig said calmly. They were treating Frank as if he was some wild animal about to go on the attack.

And Frank was damn sure about to attack. The agents wanted a scene in the middle of the hospital, well he was about to give it to them.

"Why the hell weren't you following Wesley Levine this entire time?" Frank roared, taking another threatening step toward them. The agents' hands went to their guns, but Frank ignored them. He was _pissed_—extremely so. "Don't you think that would have been the more obvious of the two?"

"Mr. Hardy, we're going to have to ask you to calm down or we will have no choice but to take you in," Whalen warned.

"Oh, yeah…sure. Let's take me in but ignore the fact that there's a serial killer on the loose—who used to be one of _your_ own—because I'm obviously the bigger threat."

"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be," Craig said. "We can work together—in fact, we're more than willing to at this point."

"You still haven't answered my question—why weren't you following Wesley Levine. And don't give me that bullshit that he fell off the grid," Frank practically growled. "You're the goddamned FBI, always going around claiming that you're better than everyone else. Finding someone, especially an ex-agent, should be a breeze in the park for you."

"If it were that simple, then we would have already apprehended ex-Agent Levine," Whalen said patiently. "Because he used to be the FBI, he knows how to cover his tracks and we're pretty sure he still has plenty of connections that would overlook the fact that he's a known felon. I assure you, Mr. Hardy, we are doing everything in our power to locate him and your fiancée. I know you're upset—and justifiably so—but we're not going to get anywhere if you insist on fighting up every step of the way. You keep that up and the only way we're going to find Miss Drew is lying in a ditch somewhere."

Frank felt as if he'd been sucker-punched. Wesley's kicks to his ribs hadn't nearly been as hurtful as Whalen's words. The fight slowly deflated from his body and he sank back down into the chair, holding his head in his hands.

"What do you need from me?" Frank asked quietly.

"We were told that you found Ella Jacobs this evening."

"Considering she was pretty much left gift-wrapped in the back of Nancy's car, I guess you could say that," Frank agreed. "He wanted me to find her. It was the whole point."

"Did she say anything to you?"

Frank shook his head. "She was a little too busy trying to stay alive. She didn't really say much, expect to tell me that Nancy wasn't okay."

"Was she more specific than that?" Craig asked.

"Again, she was trying her best not to die in my arms."

"She didn't tell you where she was being held?"

Frank sighed as he looked up at the two men in exasperation. "How many times and ways do I have to say it? She was dying in my arms—she didn't tell me a damn thing. And if she did, do you honestly think I would be sitting in an uncomfortable vinyl chair drinking shit coffee?"

The agents exchanged a look before Craig reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "We're on our way to check out Miss Drew's car for any evidence Levine may have left behind. Will you at least call us as soon as Miss Jacobs wakes up?"

"Why? So you can ask her the same pointless questions you're asking me?"

Craig looked like he wanted to say something else, but Whalen nudged him before leading him out of the waiting room. Frank was glad to see them leave because he was sure of one thing.

If they had stuck around much longer, he was pretty sure he would have been spending the rest of the night in a jail cell since he was certain he would have ended up punching one or both of them.

* * *

It was another three hours before Frank was allowed to see Ella. Walking into the private room, Frank could have sworn he was looking at a ghost, her red hair standing out in stark contrast to her pale features. The rings underneath her closed eyes were so dark, they were almost black. It made Frank wonder if this was the first time she'd slept since she'd been kidnapped a few days ago.

It really was a shame that it took nearly dying for her to get the rest she needed.

Frank grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and pulled it close to her bed. He'd been informed that Ella's family was flying in later that morning. Since she was in the ICU and usually immediate family was allowed to visit, they had made an exception for him since he was the one who had found her.

Frank was grateful for that for two reasons: one, he didn't want Ella to wake up alone and two, he wanted to be the first to speak with her about Nancy before the police had a chance to pounce on her. He had no doubts they would come rushing into her room as soon as they got word that she was awake. Frank wanted to keep her from that for as long as possible.

He had to admit that he felt a little awkward being in there, considering Ella was a virtual stranger to him. Sure, he knew all about her from what information he and Joe had gathered from digging into her past. The only real tie he had to her was that she happened to be with Nancy and he prayed with everything in him that she would be able to tell him where she was being held. Or at the very least, point him in the right direction.

Frank couldn't help but think that he was running out of time to find her.

Before he could dwell on that any further, a soft gasp had him jerking out of his seat as Ella's eyes fluttered open. They landed on Frank and he didn't miss the look of panic crossing her features as she tried to take in her surroundings. Frank quickly grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, offering her comfort and strength through his touch.

"It's okay, Ella. You're safe now."

"Wh-where…?"

"You're in the hospital—River Heights General, to be specific," Frank explained quietly. "You just got out of surgery a couple of hours ago."

Ella blinked owlishly, confusion all over her face. "Surgery?"

Frank nodded. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"No…"

"You were stabbed. I found you in the trunk of my fiancée's car."

All of a sudden, Ella's eyes widened as she looked around the room in fear. "Wes-Wesley. Is—where is he?"

Frank immediately stood up and gathered her into his arms, rocking her gently as she began sobbing in earnest. He bit back a groan of pain as pressure was applied to his cracked ribs. "Calm down, Ella. He's not here. I promise you that you're safe."

Ella continued to cry softy against his chest, clutching onto his shirt desperately. Frank couldn't really blame her, especially not knowing what she'd been through for the past few days. If it was anything like Nancy went through all those months ago, he knew it would take some time for her to recover. Not to mention, Ella had already been through something like this when she was taken a year ago.

After a few more minutes, Ella seemed to regain her composure as she pulled away from Frank. He helped her to lie back against the pillows and returned to his chair. "You're Frank…"

Frank nodded. "Frank Hardy."

"Nancy told me about you. She said that you could help her."

"I want to find her, Ella," Frank said softly. "But I'm going to need your help."

Tears welled up in her bright green eyes as she shook her head sadly. "I don't know where he kept me—where she's at. I was drugged when he brought me there and I was in the trunk when we left."

Frank tried not to let defeat show on his face. "It's okay if you don't know exactly where it is, Ella."

"But I tried to do what Nancy told me to do."

"What do you mean?"

Ella winced as she tried to sit up and Frank quickly got up and positioned the pillows behind her back. "She told me to concentrate on sounds and bumps and anything else that could probably help you. I don't know how much I'll be able to help because I was trying not to focus on the pain."

"It's okay, Ella. Any kind of directions you can give me will be helpful."

"I want to help," Ella said softly. "I didn't want to leave Nancy alone but she made me go."

"What are you talking about?"

"She said she convinced Wesley to let me go."

"Did she tell you how?"

Ella shook her head.

Frank bit back a sigh, trying not to be annoyed with Nancy. He should have known that she would do anything to put someone else's safety before her own. It was one of the things that he loved and admired about her—her selflessness. But God, if it didn't want to make him knock some sense into her sometimes.

"Ella, when I found you tonight, you told me that Nancy wasn't okay," Frank began, and part of him didn't want to know what she meant by that. But he knew he needed to know—no matter how bad it may be. "What did you mean by that? Did something bad happen to her?"

Ella's bottom lip began to quiver and a tear streamed down her left cheek. "She made me promise not to tell you…"

"I really need to know, Ella. You can't keep anything from me, especially if it concerns Nancy's well-being." Frank took a deep breath, grasping her hand once again. "Did Wesley hurt her?"

"I can't…"

"Ella, please…I am begging you to tell me. Is Nancy okay?"

"I'm sorry, Frank. If I knew he was going to do it, I would have tried my best to stop him." Ella broke down and began sobbing in earnest.

"Ella…"

"I am so sorry. I wish I could have stopped him." Ella pried her hand away from Frank's and covered her face with them as she continued to cry. "Wesley raped her, Frank."

* * *

**A quicker update this time around. The great thing about being sick…it gives me plenty of time to write since I can't go to work. Good for you guys, but not so great for my paycheck…**

**Again, I want to thank everyone for their kind words and sympathy. I really appreciate each and every one of you.**

**Alicia Hardy (I missed Wesley, too…how bad is that, considering he has taken up semi-permanent residency in my head?), Cupcake (I didn't even remember that line from Tangled and I love that movie! I basically had him say he had a thing for brunettes because I happen to be one myself! Thank God, Wesley is fictional!), Caranath (Thank you so much—and it takes a lot to get on my bad side…believe me!), Guest (Thank you! I'm updating as fast as I can!), misslady92 (Nancy will never give up—it's why I love her so much), Angelvie S (Our girl isn't giving up!), max2013 (Thank you—a doctor's visit, two shots, and lots of meds later, I should be on my way to feeling much better!), VerityD (I never make things that easy for Nancy…or anyone, for that matter), Michelle Gallichio (Wesley has much more planned for Nancy—he's nowhere near finished with her yet), SC15 (Wesley is having a lot of fun bringing her down bit by bit, and he still has a lot more in store for her), catlover1033 (I'd be interested to know what you think Wesley has planned—PM me if you want!), Jabba1 (Ah, the missing knife…where could it possibly be?)**

**Much love to all of you and everyone who is adding me to their lists!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	21. Twenty

**Twenty**

* * *

Frank was pretty sure that he hadn't heard Ella correctly. There was no way in hell that what she said could be true. There was no way in hell that Wesley could have seriously raped Nancy.

But when he thought about it, was he really surprised? He knew how the killer felt about Nancy and doing that to her would have been worse than anything he could have done to her. He knew that and Nancy would know that as well. While killing her would have been the easiest thing to do, he'd gone and done something that would haunt her for the rest of her life—however long that may be.

In that moment, Frank would have preferred that Wesley had killed her outright. How in the hell was he supposed to put Nancy together again once he found her? From what he knew about rape cases, the women usually had a hard time trusting men, even ones they were in love with. It wasn't something they eventually got over and no matter how hard they tried not to relive the violent act with other men, it was still in the forefront of their minds.

It really would have been so much better if Wesley had just killed her.

And Frank felt like a real bastard for even thinking that.

"Frank?" Ella's soft voice cut into his thoughts.

When Frank blinked, he saw that she was staring back at him with fear and concern in her green eyes. It wasn't until then that he noticed his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"I never should have told you," Ella went on. "Nancy told me you would be angry."

"Are you sure he did that to her?" Frank asked, flinching at the coldness of his tone. He could see Ella was just as frightened and it made him feel like an ass once again. It wasn't her that he was angry at—she'd admitted the truth, even when she didn't want to.

"Nancy didn't come right out and say it, but she didn't have to," Ella admitted, wringing her hands together. "It was obvious something horrible had happened to her when he brought her upstairs. When I suggested it, she didn't deny it."

"Son of a bitch!" Frank roared, kicking the chair across the room.

Ella let out a startled yelp, but Frank didn't bother to apologize as the door to the room opened and the nurse rushed in, an orderly at her heels.

"What's going on in here?" The nurse fixed Frank with a stern look as she rushed over to Ella's bedside to take her vitals. "I told you that you could stay in here as long as you didn't do anything to upset her."

Ignoring them, Frank stormed out of the room. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he needed to get out of the hospital before he did something he'd regret. He seriously needed to refrain from doing anything that would get him thrown in jail, because that's exactly where he was headed if anymore shit piled up on him.

If it wasn't a sure thing before, it definitely was one now.

Frank Hardy was going to kill Wesley Levine.

* * *

Nancy couldn't stop the moan escaping from her lips as she tried to move her stiff limbs. Her arms felt as if they were about to be pulled out of their sockets they way they were tied off at her ankles. Even the tiniest of movements caused a shooting pain to rip through her limbs.

She'd been left that way for what had to be hours and had maybe accomplished a combined hour of sleep during that time. While that was bad in itself, what made it worse was the fact that Wesley had laid by her the entire time, his soft snores filling the silence. He really wasn't about to let her out of his sight, which made any future escape attempt that much trickier.

Nancy absolutely hated Wesley Levine.

Letting out a soft whimper, she tried to angle her body so she could get a little more comfortable. Part of her wished that Wesley would just wake up so he could inflict whatever horror he had in store for her already. He promised that it was going to be a big day and coming from him, that could mean any multitude of possibilities—kicking a puppy, stealing money from an old lady, carjacking a bus full of children.

Really, there was no end to his depravity and she didn't put a single thing past him at this point.

As she lay there listening to Wesley snore, she couldn't stop her thoughts from straying to Frank. She couldn't help but feel impressed and proud of the fact that Frank had managed to land some hits on Wesley. But it also frightened her, especially since Wesley had said he'd returned some of those hits back to him.

Was Frank okay?

And while she was on that line of questioning, what reason did Wesley have to go see Frank, other than the obvious—to taunt him? But he could have easily just done that on the phone; it would have been a lot less risky. So there had to be a reason Wesley felt the need to risk everything to see Frank.

"You seem to be thinking awfully hard over there," Wesley said softly, brushing her hair back from her face. Nancy jerked back from his touch, but his blue eyes never wavered from hers. It made her wonder how long he'd lied there, staring at her like that.

"Why did you go to Frank last night?"

Wesley let out a sigh as he turned over on his back, putting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "I thought he could use a friend. I would imagine this was a stressful time for him, considering he has no idea where you are."

"I would hardly call you a friend," Nancy muttered. "And he wouldn't be so stressed out if you would just let me go home."

"Well, that's not likely to happen anytime soon."

"How long do you plan on keeping this up, Wesley?"

"At least until I grow bored," he admitted, flashing her a charming smile.

"Is that all it will take?" Nancy asked. "You just need to get bored with me? I'll keep that in mind."

Wesley chuckled and reached for something on the nightstand. When he turned around, Nancy saw that it was a small knife. "That's the thing about you, my love. I could never grow bored by you."

Propping himself up on his knees, he turned Nancy around so he could cut the ropes attaching her wrists to her ankles. Nancy couldn't help but cry out at the release of pressure, the blood rushing back to her limbs in a tidal wave. Wesley didn't say anything as he continued to cut the ropes, releasing her from all of her bonds.

"I'm putting a lot of trust in you for you not to run away, Nancy," Wesley said softly, helping her to sit up. "Don't make me regret my decision or I'll continue to keep you tied up like a little pet."

Nancy sat on the edge of the bed, not trusting her unsteady legs to hold her weight. While every instinct told her that she needed to run, she also knew that she needed to bide her time. She had no doubt that Wesley would keep his word, but if she could get him to drop his guard around her and trust her, then she would have a better shot at getting away.

She just needed to play this smart and cautiously.

Those were two things that she knew she could do without fail. After all, she didn't become a successful private detective by making rash decisions—at least, most of the time. There were times when a rash decision happened to save her ass.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Wesley asked, peering down at her.

Nancy's stomach answered for her as her stomach grumbled loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes," Wesley said, smiling as he helped her to her feet.

Nancy had to work hard not to pull her arm free from his grasp. While she was happy not to be tied up for once, that didn't mean she wanted him touching her. She still couldn't get what he'd done to her out of her mind. And she wasn't about to take his pleasant attitude at face value—she knew that could change at any moment.

Which only meant that he was up to something.

Wesley led her into the kitchen and sat her down at the table. "Place your hands flat on the table and leave them there while I cook us something." He stared at her until she reluctantly put her hands on the wooden surface before beaming a bright smile at her. "Very good. Are bacon and eggs okay?"

"That's fine."

"Excellent." Wesley gathered all of the items and in a matter of minutes, the kitchen was filled with the savory aromas of breakfast. While everything was cooking, he put on a pot of coffee and pulled two mugs from the cabinet. Even with his mind focused on everything going on in the spacious kitchen, he still managed to keep an eye on Nancy.

Forcing her to keep her hands still on the table was almost—if not worse—than keeping her tied up. It took every bit of concentration not to move her hands, especially when instinct and the little voice in her head was telling her to find a weapon to use. It was like putting a kid in a candy store and telling them not to touch any of the sweet treats.

Insane.

As soon as everything was finished, Wesley scooped the food onto two plates and brought them over to the table, placing one of them in front of Nancy and the other across from her. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Cream and sugar," Nancy said, trying not to lick her lips as the smell of the food wafted into her face. Her hands were practically twitching on the table as she waited for him to give his approval to move them.

Wesley fixed the coffee and brought them over to the table. As soon as he took a seat, he nodded his head at Nancy. "Keep one hand on the table, but you can eat."

Nancy looked around for her silverware, but didn't see anything. "I need a fork or a spoon so I can eat."

"You can use your fingers." Wesley flashed her a smile as he picked up his fork and took a bite of the eggs. "I'm afraid I can't trust you with anything you can potentially use as a weapon."

"That pretty much rules out everything then, doesn't it?" Nancy couldn't help but smirk at him. "I'm a detective. I improvise all the time."

Wesley didn't find it amusing as he slowly lowered his fork. "Then, perhaps, I should lock you back in your cage."

Nancy didn't bother to point out that she had escaped from that earlier. Instead, she picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled at it, fixing Wesley with a pointed glare. Satisfied with her behavior, Wesley returned to eating his own meal. Soon, Nancy found herself eating ravenously, as if she hadn't eaten in days.

"What did you do to Frank?" Nancy asked as she pushed her plate away.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask about that," Wesley said with a smile. He picked up his coffee and took a sip before answering her. "I only defended myself when he decided to attack me."

"I'm sure he had a good reason to attack you."

Wesley nodded. "I'm sure he would agree with you."

"What did you do to him?"

"Left him with a bloody face and a couple of cracked—if not broken—ribs." At Nancy's horrified look, he got up from his seat and moved around the table so he could sit on the corner beside her. "I told you, I was only defending myself. And would you like to know what I told him before I left him moaning and groaning on the ground?"

Nancy stared up at him, saying nothing.

Wesley leaned down until his lips were next to her ear. "I told him I would make sure you paid for every single blow he landed on me."

Letting out a gasp, Nancy tried to push back from her chair, but Wesley stopped her as he grabbed the back of her neck and held her in place. Nancy couldn't bite back her cry of pain as he tightened his grip. "Let go of me."

"Relax, Nancy," Wesley said softly. "I had all night to think about what I would do to you, and I finally figured it out."

Nancy couldn't stop the tremor that worked its way through her body. She would be stupid if she wasn't afraid of Wesley. She could only imagine what new hell he thought up for her. One thing she knew for sure was that she would take anything he would dole out, as long as he didn't rape her again. "What are you going to do?"

Wesley chuckled as he traced his other hand along her bare arm, bringing it down to squeeze her thigh. "If I didn't know any better, I would say there was true terror in your eyes, Nancy. What are you afraid of happening?"

"Don't touch me!" Nancy tried to push down the sob in her throat, but it came out nonetheless, betraying her. She hated that she sounded so weak in front of him. It made her hate for him climb up to new levels.

"You don't have anything to worry about, my love," Wesley said softly as he kissed her forehead. "It will be a while before we do that again."

Nancy let out a small whimper at his words. He planned for it to happen again and if that didn't instill fear into her, she didn't know what else would.

"Would you like to know what I planned for us to do today?"

She shook her head.

"I want to show you everything, Nancy. I want to share it all with you," he said, ignoring her. "You'll get to watch everything from start to finish. Today, you're going to join me for my next kill."

* * *

**I know what you're thinking…what's going on with Wesley? He keeps going from hot to cold, which I think makes him that much more unpredictable and fun to write! He certainly creeps me out when he's like that…**

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed: misslady92 (Things could certainly get worse for Frank…I'll see what I can do about that!), Caranath (Yay, evil crown! I love the evil crown!), max2013 (I know I'm pushing Nancy pretty hard, but I never wanted to make it easy for her in this story), kpopluver (Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!), Alicia Hardy (Poor Frank, indeed…I think he needs a hug), dolphingirl7 (I'm happy you're enjoying it and please, feel better soon. Concussions are never something to play around with!), Michelle Gallichio (I absolutely love cliffhangers…as long as it's me who is writing them and not reading them!), Guest 1 (Updating as quickly as I am able!), Cupcake (I don't know what I would do if Wesley was real…lots and lots of therapy!), Angelvie S (Thank you so much!), SC15 (Scoot back on that seat of yours! I don't want you to fall off!), Guest 2 (Thank you so much…that means so much to me!), catlover1033 (Your reviews crack me up! I actually have the same reaction when my favorite stories are updated though! And I am still curious about your idea!), Lady Emily (You know I love my cliffhangers!), FreshKicks (Don't you just hate when life gets in the way of doing what you really want to do? Happens to me all the time!), and MinecraftDanny (You're not horrible…I still love you!)**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	22. Twenty One

**Gratuitous shower scene ahead simply because it had to be done.**

* * *

**Twenty-One**

* * *

By the time Frank finally made it home, it was approaching six in the morning. By that point, he was pretty much running on three things: fumes, adrenaline and anger—anger being the strongest. He was actually surprised that he made it home in once piece, his rage was so consuming. It was only lucky for him that there was very little traffic on the road; he was sure he would have killed himself or an innocent being.

He knew without a doubt he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he'd killed an innocent person.

After his outburst in Ella's hospital room, he thought it best that he leave the hospital. While he knew he owed the young woman an apology for his behavior, he didn't trust himself to blow up at her again. It wasn't as if it was her fault, and deep down, he knew that. And there was no denying she was feeling incredible guilt over what had happened to Nancy.

Frank was sure he would only add on to it and he didn't want to do that to her. She'd been through enough at the hands of Wesley. She deserved to rest and recuperate and recover from her ordeal. He would give her a day or so to cope with everything and then he would use her to try to pinpoint Wesley's location so he could get Nancy back.

That was his single thought. The only thing that was going to get him through this nightmare.

And killing Wesley Levine.

That was also on the top of his To Do list.

Frank couldn't remember a time in his life he'd wanted to kill another human being—like really kill someone. Sure, the thought had crossed his mind sometimes on some difficult cases, but during all those times, he knew he would never actually go through with it.

This was the first time he found himself wanting to feel another person's blood on his hands, watch the life go out of their eyes.

Was it healthy to be thinking these thoughts? Not at all.

Did he care? Not even a little.

Is it something he would regret later? Who knows—but he would deal with the consequences later. He would take anything that came his way as long as it meant he had Nancy home where she belonged.

Frank emptied his pockets of his keys and loose change before stepping into the bathroom. He only wanted to do two things at the moment: shower and try to get some sleep. He knew he couldn't continue without getting at least a couple of hours of sleep. He would be of no use to anyone, especially Nancy, if he tried to keep going on when he was beyond exhausted. He needed to try to keep a clear head and the only way he could do that was if he took care of himself.

Besides, Nancy would never forgive him if he did something stupid because he refused to take care of himself.

Shucking his clothing and removing the bandages from his torso, he stepped into the scalding hot shower, allowing the water to beat relentlessly against his aching muscles. His ribs instantly protested the movement before the pressure slowly eased up underneath the soothing water. Frank didn't make any effort to move as he stood under the steady pressure of the shower. Little by little, he could feel some of his anger ebb away, though it was still lingering just beneath the surface.

He didn't want it to go away completely. Anger was a strong emotion and when it was channeled and contained, it could be very useful.

Frank stayed in the shower until the water turned lukewarm. Turning the water off, he grabbed a towel and wrapped around his body before stepping out into the foggy bathroom. Rubbing his hand across the steam-covered window, he took in his reflection, not liking what he saw at all. Dark circle were prevalent underneath his brown eyes, almost giving him a haggard appearance. He could clearly see stress and worry lines marring his features and they only seemed to get worse the longer he stared at his reflection. A few cuts and bruises dotted his face where Wesley had punched him and the split in his bottom lip stood out like a beacon.

Unable to look at himself any longer, Frank walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. After drying off, he grabbed a pair of boxers out of his drawer and put them on before grabbing some bandages and wrapping his aching ribs. He was just about to crawl into his empty bed when his cell phone rang. Heaving a sigh, he plucked it off the dresser and saw that it was Joe.

"Hey, Joe. Did you make it?" Frank asked as he sank down onto his bed.

"_Yeah, we got here about fifteen minutes ago," _Joe answered. _"Vanessa's in the hospital room with her mom."_

"How's she doing?"

Joe heaved a long sigh on the other end. _"As well as can be expected. The doctors have her stable, so that's a plus. She lost a lot of blood, not to mention her left leg and arm. They're most worried about the head injury though."_

"Damn," Frank muttered, running a hand over his face. "Is she going to be okay?"

"_The next twenty-four hours are going to determine that. Andrea hasn't woken up since she was brought in. We just have to wait and see."_

"Sorry, man."

"_Yeah." _Joe let out another sigh and Frank heard a sound like a soda can dropping from a vending machine. A few seconds later, there was a hiss as the top was popped._ "How's everything going over there?"_

"Things have been interesting, to say the least."

"_What do you mean?"_

"Wesley paid me a visit about an hour after you left."

"_What?"_ Frank had to pull the phone away from his ear at his brother's startled yell. _"What the hell happened?"_

It was Frank's turn to sigh. "We exchanged a few pleasantries, he said something that I didn't want to hear and we then proceeded to beat the shit out of each other."

"_Son of a bitch! I knew I should have left."_

"It's fine, Joe."

"_No, it's not fine, Frank." _He could clearly hear the anger and frustration in his little brother's voice. _"Are you okay?"_

"Define okay."

"_Frank…"_

"I'm good. I just have a couple of cracked ribs and my face looks like a punching bag. But you should—"

"_If you tell me I should see the other guy, I swear to God, I will hop on the first plane back and kick your ass myself,"_ Joe said. _"Besides, that's supposed to be my line."_

Frank couldn't help but chuckle. It was so good to hear his brother's voice and cheesy jokes after the night he'd had. The only thing that would make it even better was if Nancy was in bed beside him. That thought quickly sobered him.

"We found Ella Jacobs."

Joe was silent for a few moments. _"Was she dead?"_

"Close," Frank admitted. "If it had been a few minutes longer before I found her, then she probably wouldn't have made it. Wesley hand delivered her to me in the trunk of Nancy's car."

"_Was Nancy—"_

"She wasn't with him."

"_Have you gotten a chance to talk with Ella?"_

"Briefly, before I decided to redecorate her hospital room."

"_Why? What did you do?"_

"She told me something about Nancy." Frank hesitated as he stared at the picture of him and Nancy on the nightstand, but not really seeing it. They were wrapped in each other's arms, staring at each other as they remained oblivious to anything around them. It had been a candid shot that Vanessa had managed to take without them knowing. "It's not good, Joe."

He briefly wondered if he should even tell his brother about what happened to Nancy. Joe had always looked at Nancy as the sister he never had and Frank knew without a doubt that his little brother was fiercely protective of her. Not that he would ever let her know that, of course. But he'd always looked at Nancy as family.

"_What happened, Frank?"_ It was almost as if Joe knew what Frank was going to tell him. Frank could hear it by the way he asked the question.

Frank choked on a sob, his emotions finally coming to the surface. His eyes instantly flooded with tears, but he pushed them back as he took a deep, ragged breath. There would be time to completely lose it later, but not right now. "He raped her, Joe."

"_Shit!" _Joe exclaimed on the other end before stringing together another expletive-laden sentence. Frank didn't know it was possible to say that many expletives in one sentence. _"Are you okay?"_

"I will be," Frank assured him. "I want him dead, Joe."

"_You and me both."_

"No, Joe. I mean, I really want him dead. I'm not saying it in passing or just because I'm furious. I actually want to see the asshole dead. And what's worse, I want to be the one to do it."

"_No one could exactly blame you, Frank."_

Frank let that one go. "You haven't even heard the best part of this entire night yet."

"_It gets better?"_

"Guess who finally decided to show up?" Frank didn't wait for his sibling to answer. "The FBI."

"_Are you screwing with me?"_

"Nope. They're here in all their bureaucratic and monkey suit glory."

"_Did they happen to tell you why the hell they haven't shown up before now?"_

"They didn't think the threat was credible, especially since they've had agents tailing Nancy this entire time."

"_Shit!"_

"Exactly."

"_You're not working with them, are you?"_

"Hell no. They can pretty much go screw themselves at this point," Frank said. "I'll continue working on it on my own. I'm actually back at the apartment, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before I head back to the hospital to talk with Ella again."

"_Was she able to tell you where Wesley was holding her and Nancy?"_

"No. He kept her either drugged or in the trunk both times she was out of the building. She thinks she might be able to point me in the right direction, so we'll see."

"_Just be careful, Frank, and don't do something that can get you in trouble."_

"Meaning don't do anything that you would normally do."

"_Exactly." _Joe said with a chuckle. _"Look, if you need me to come back, just say the word. Vanessa will understand. She's just as concerned with Nancy as we all are."_

"Don't worry about me, Joe. Vanessa needs you more right now."

"_Are you sure?"_

"Yeah."

"_Alright, well, I'm going to let you go so you can get some sleep. Make sure you call me and keep me updated."_

"I will." Hanging up the phone, Frank put it on the nightstand before gingerly lying back on the bed, trying not to aggravate his ribs. He was glad that Joe had called. It felt good to be able to talk with someone and he couldn't think of anyone better than his little brother.

It was at least an hour before Frank finally closed his eyes and allowed restless sleep to pull him under.

* * *

**A shorter chapter this time around, but I wanted to give you guys one devoted to our favorite brothers. **

**Since I am writing this at work—well, before work—I won't be able to include comments with my thank you's but I still want to thank the ones who have reviewed the previous chapter: Michelle Gallichio, Caranath, Angelvie S, max2013, Alicia Hardy, beachgirlsrule, FreshKicks, Cupcake, SC15, Yelene-ryudream, MinecraftDanny, misslady92, and Lady Emily.**

**I love you guys!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**

**The next update may be a little late because my little sister was elected as a Senior Homecoming maid and the parade and game is next week and I have a lot of preparation to do for her! **


	23. Twenty Two

**Twenty-Two**

* * *

Nancy let out a miserable sigh of frustration as she pulled against the handcuff tethering her to the metal towel rack in Wesley's master bathroom. As soon as he'd allowed her to take a shower and get dressed, he'd brought her back into the bathroom and secured her to the rack, saying that he couldn't trust her to be alone in the house. Which was entirely true, since Nancy undoubtedly knew she would use that time to find a way out of there.

She wished she could have convinced him otherwise, but they both weren't stupid. There would have been no way for her to fully convince him that she would stay put like a good little girl. Nancy prided herself on being a good actress, but she wasn't a great one. It would have been just a hopeless endeavor on her part.

Instead, she was stuck in a steaming bathroom, listening to Wesley hum over the thrum of the pounding water. She couldn't think of a worse place that she could be at the moment, realizing that there was only a wall of glass separating her from his naked body. And of course, it wouldn't be a piece of frosted glass—oh, no. It was crystal clear and sparkling as if it had just been installed only an hour ago, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Wesley had only smiled knowingly at her before she had turned her back to him to stare at the wall. The navy tiles were a whole lot more interesting than staring at the monster in the shower, no matter how well-built and attractive he may be.

Nancy let out a soft moan as her arm protested its forced position above her head. It had grown numb about five minutes ago and the slightest movement caused sharp, tingling pains to shoot up her arm. She figured Wesley knew exactly what he was doing by staying in the shower longer than was necessary—he wanted to cause as much torment as possible by any means possible. No matter how mundane and stupid it was.

Adjusting her position, Nancy laid her head against her arm as Wesley continued to hum in the shower. She couldn't help but wonder what he had in store for her today, hoping against everything that what he said at breakfast wouldn't come to fruition. She knew there was no way she could participate in one of his heinous crimes—she'd rather die herself.

There was only one little problem with that—Wesley had told her that it wasn't going to be an option. He had no plans of killing her, only to keep her prisoner and torture her in every way possible—physically and mentally.

She honestly didn't know how much more she was going to be able to take before she lost herself completely. Everything was stacking up against her and it would only take a slight nudge before she slipped off the thin precipice she was barely clutching on with the tips of her fingers. She wasn't even sure if she would resemble a functioning human being by the time she got back to Frank.

And she would get back to Frank. That was something that she knew with absolute certainty.

Nancy sat up a little straighter as the shower finally turned off, refusing to turn around to face Wesley. He continued to hum even as he stepped out of the shower, the cloying cloud of steam hitting her back, almost making it difficult for her the breathe.

Wesley chuckled. "You don't have to act bashful, Nancy. You've seen me naked before. Why act embarrassed about it now?"

"I didn't exactly have a choice the first time, did I?" Nancy asked through clenched teeth. No way in hell would she give him the pleasure he sought from her.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

Nancy closed her eyes and remained silent, refusing to acknowledge something so absurd. She shivered slightly as he let out another chuckle, but thankfully he didn't say anything more about it. She kept her back turned to him as he moved around the large bathroom, tuning out all thoughts of the killer.

Instead, she focused on thoughts of Frank. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel his arms around her, holding her safe and secure. She could almost smell him, his scent a mixture of his favorite spicy soap and the outdoors, which was peculiar since Frank had never been an outdoorsy kind of guy. She could almost feel his warm breath against her neck as he held her close as if he would never let her go again.

God, what she wouldn't give to have all of those things again.

"Frank…"

Nancy didn't realize she had uttered his name until Wesley was jerking her up and shoving her against the wall, the towel rack digging painfully into her back as her wrist protested the violent movement. She was unable to mask her fear as she looked up into his crazed blue eyes.

"What did you say?" Wesley asked through clenched teeth, applying pressure to her arm as he gave her another shove against the wall.

Nancy let out a cry of pain as she tried to pull away from him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, hating how pitiful she sounded. "Please, I just miss him…"

Wesley let out a growl as he grabbed her face, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "There is no more Frank, Nancy. And it's about time that you realized that. There's only you and me now."

Tears formed in her eyes as she stared back at the crazed man before her. She tried her best not to let them fall, but one escaped, burning a slow, agonizing trail down her cheek. Wesley leaned forward as he continued to hold her face, lapping up the tear with a satisfied moan. Nancy let out a whimper as she tried to move out of his painful grip.

"Tell me you understand, Nancy," Wesley said softly, moving his head so he could look at her again. When she hesitated, he gave her face a not so gentle squeeze. "Tell me what I want to hear, Nancy."

Nancy wanted to scream in frustration at her situation. How dare this asshole make her feel weak and terrified. Every part of her wanted to argue with him and tell him that it would never be the two of them, that it would always be her and Frank. But she knew it would only take so much to push him to the edge. She wasn't necessarily worried about herself, but what Wesley would do to someone else because of her stubbornness.

What he could do to Frank or Joe or anyone else that she loved.

"I understand," Nancy whispered, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I'm sorry? I'm afraid I couldn't hear you."

Nancy glared at him. She knew very well that he could hear her, considering it was deathly silent in the bathroom and their voices echoed—even whispering—in the cavernous room. "I understand."

"Good," Wesley said with a smile. Keeping his grip tight on her face, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Nancy closed her eyes against the invasion, trying to pull her head away. When Wesley only became more forceful with his tongue, Nancy didn't think as she bit down on it, tasting the coppery tang of his blood in her mouth.

"You bitch!" Wesley roared as he pulled away from her before delivering a powerful backhand across her face that sent her sprawling to the floor. Nancy cried out in pain as her arm was jerked above her head, the handcuff still holding her prisoner to the towel rack.

Wesley sent her a scathing glare before walking over to the sink and rinsing his mouth out with water. Nancy let out a soft moan as she tried to sit up, her face throbbing against the savage blow he'd delivered. She was sure she was going to have a nasty bruise there, if not a black eye. Part of her couldn't help but wonder how he would explain that since he planned to bring her out in public.

In that moment, Nancy knew she needed to get away from him today. He was presenting her with the perfect opportunity by bringing her out in public. It would probably be the only chance that she had to get away. She couldn't be here with him any longer, because even though he assured her that he wasn't going to kill her, Nancy knew that she couldn't trust a damn word that came out of his mouth.

After all, look what happened with Ella.

When Wesley came back to her, he was noticeably calmer, which scared Nancy even more. He flashed her a small smile before unlocking the cuff that held her prisoner. With surprising gentleness, he helped her to stand up before leading her into the bedroom, where he sat her down on the bed.

Nancy couldn't help the momentary panic that shot through her as he reached into the drawer of the bedside table, remembering what had happened the last time he'd gone in that drawer. She subtly began inching away from him, gauging the distance between her and the door. The rational part of her knew that she would never make it, but right now, the irrational part of her brain was front and center and not listening to any arguments. She was beginning to rise to her feet when Wesley turned back to her, holding a perfectly squared velvet box.

He frowned slightly when he noticed she had moved, but it was quickly replaced with a radiant smile as he held the box out to her.

"What is that?" Nancy asked, eyeing it warily.

"It's a present." Wesley chuckled at Nancy's hesitant expression. "You won't know what it is until you open it, my love."

Nancy shivered slightly at the pet name, hating that he was calling her his anything. She was nothing to him and she never would be.

"Take the box, Nancy."

With shaking hands, Nancy took the box from him, but she didn't open it. There was no telling what was in the harmless looking box. For all she knew, it could be another spider or something worse—like a human heart or a child's skull. Nothing would surprise her at this point.

He heaved a sigh as he lifted the lid off of the box for her. Nancy looked inside and was momentarily relieved to see that it held nothing more than a thick, black bracelet. But her relief quickly faded away as she lifted it out of the box, vaguely recognizing the item for what it was.

Wesley took the bracelet from her and put the box on the bed beside her. "I got to thinking…if I was going to allow you to go out in public, I couldn't very well leave you tied up the entire time. That was look highly suspicious on my part. And the last thing I want to do is draw suspicion to myself."

"You're right," Nancy said bitterly, trying her best not to roll her eyes since that's exactly what she wanted. "We wouldn't want that to happen."

Wesley smiled. "Glad you're on the same page as me."

"Unfortunately so."

"Thankfully for me, I still have some connections in law enforcement," Wesley continued, ignoring her. "This is a tracking bracelet and it works pretty much the same way that the ankle monitors work for people who are on house arrest." Grabbing her leg, he fastened the contraption around her left leg, the resounding click sounding almost like a death sentence to Nancy.

Nancy pulled her leg away from Wesley and tried to pry the device off, but she could barely get her fingers in between it and her ankle. She couldn't even see a locking mechanism on the damn thing, which meant that she wouldn't even be able to pick it open.

Wesley seemed to realize what her intent was as he gave her a chilling smile, holding up a small remote in his hand. It was black with a series of numbered buttons and fit discreetly in the palm of his hand. Nancy had seen a few monitoring devices in her line of work, but never one quite as sophisticated as this one.

"The only way that thing is coming off of you is if I choose for it to." Rising up, Wesley put his hands on either side of Nancy on the bed, leaning into her until she had no choice but to lie down. "You can certainly try to escape, Nancy, but know this—I will find you. There will be nowhere you can hide without me knowing."

Nancy swallowed hard as he pressed into her further, running his hand along her thigh before trailing it up her body to cup her left breast. She couldn't stop the whimper from escaping her as he gave it a hard squeeze. Her reflexes automatically kicked in as she pushed him away from her, scurrying to get away from him as he stumbled back.

"Don't touch me!"

Wesley chuckled darkly as he stalked back over to her and jerked her off the bed. "There will plenty of time for touching you later, my love. Right now, we have other things to do."

* * *

Nancy could think of a million things she would rather be doing than sitting in a car beside Wesley—reorganizing her book collection in alphabetical order and watching paint dry were at the top of her list. Hell, even cleaning up after Joe was a viable option. Anything would be better than sitting in the passenger seat with a matter of inches separating them.

Every part of her was itching to reach for the door handle and throw herself out of the car, whether it was moving or not. There were only a couple of problems with that option: one, Nancy was sure, even without checking them, that the doors would be locked—child-locked in fact. And two, the damn tracking device was strapped to her ankle, so even if she managed to get away from him, she wouldn't get very far.

Once again, she was royally screwed.

And now to top it off, she was now being forced to participate in one of Wesley's murders. She couldn't even begin to describe how much the idea sickened her. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought she was going to have anything to do with it. Nancy would not allow that to be on her conscience. Even if Wesley managed to find another innocent victim, she would do everything in her power to thwart his plans.

She couldn't watch another person die.

Nancy barely paid attention to the passing scenery, realizing that it probably wouldn't help her anyway. All she knew for sure was that they had been driving around for at least a couple of hours in uncomfortable silence. They'd passed the city limits about thirty minutes ago, and the further Wesley drove, the more secluded the area around them became.

"Nervous?" Wesley asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"Disgusted."

Wesley chuckled softly. "It gets easier after the first one, Nancy."

"Easy for you to say—you're not a normal human being," Nancy said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You have no heart or conscience."

"Of course I do," Wesley argued. "I've just learned how to push them both away. Both of those things will only hurt you in the end and get you caught."

Nancy closed her eyes, trying to push back the nausea creeping up her throat. "You don't have to do this, Wesley." When he said nothing, she pressed on. "You have me, Wesley. You've made it abundantly clear that I'm not going anywhere. Why do you have to keep doing this?"

"You act as if I can turn it off," Wesley said after remaining silent for a couple of minutes. "It's like a drug, Nancy. For the past seven years, killing is all I've known. I can't just turn it off. I can control the urges, but I can't just walk away from it."

"Have you ever tried?"

Wesley said nothing as he continued to stare ahead at the road.

"I know you can do it, Wesley. It's not too late to stop. You can turn yourself around and live a better life that doesn't involve you killing innocent people." Nancy swallowed hard as she turned her head to look at him. "I can help you."

"You would really do that?" Wesley asked, glancing at her.

Nancy nodded, knowing that she needed to tell him what he wanted to hear. She was hoping he would let his guard down long enough so she could convince him to let her go. "I would."

Wesley shook his head as he turned his attention back to the road. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Start by turning the car around. We can go back to your house."

"It's not that easy," Wesley said softly before shaking his head again. "I'm sorry, Nancy. But it's already too late for me. There's no turning back now."

Nancy opened her mouth to argue further, but Wesley was already turning down a long driveway that was surrounded by forest. Her heart was practically wedged in her throat as pulled in front of a white farmhouse that had green shutters and a shingled roof. Snow covered the ground, glistening in the midmorning sunlight. Wesley put the car into park, but left the engine running.

"I want you to go knock on the door and get the girl out here."

"Who is she?"

Wesley smiled. "Does it really matter?"

"I know you've done your homework. There's a reason why we're here, Wesley. What's her name?"

"If you must know, her name is Becca Arnold. And that's all I'm going to tell you for now." He nodded towards the house. "Just go up and tell her that you're lost and need directions. All I need is for you to get her outside."

Nancy shook her head. "No."

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. "No?"

"I'm not going to let you do this, Wesley. I won't be a willing participant in your sick game."

"How about an unwilling participant instead?" Before Nancy could react, Wesley had his seatbelt off and a knife pressed against her throat. "You're going to do this, Nancy, and do you know why?" He pressed the knife in further when she refused to answer. "Answer me!"

"Why?" Nancy whispered, cringing against the sharp bite of the blade.

"Because I have taken it easy on you so far. I have stayed away from everyone you love for the most part, excluding that little run-in with Frank." His eyes turned cold as he stared at her. "But if you continue to defy me, I will go after every single person you love or have ever made an acquaintance with. And you know I can do it."

Nancy stared back at him, a cold knot forming in her stomach. She wanted to scream, she was so frustrated and scared that he would keep his word. "Unlock the door."

"Good girl." Pulling away from her, he exited the car before walking over to her side and opening her door. Nancy instantly began shivering as she stepped out onto the frozen ground, her breath expelling in frosty puffs. "Remember what I said, Nancy."

She didn't even watch to see where Wesley went as she slowly and carefully made her way up the stairs. Maybe she would be able to warn the girl inside before Wesley could grab her. Maybe she could even get her to call the police. Maybe there was finally a way out of this never-ending nightmare.

Nancy pressed the doorbell and stood there as she waiting for the door to be opened. After only a few seconds, a petite girl with short, spiky blonde hair opened the door, a kind smile forming on her face when she saw Nancy.

"Hi. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was—" Nancy let out a painful cry as electricity shot through her body, starting at her feet and working its way up. She collapsed to the ground in a heap as wave after wave of electricity shot through her.

"Oh, my God! Are you okay?" Becca asked, worry crawling over her features as she rushed to Nancy's side.

Nancy moaned as she tried to curl up on herself. She couldn't remember a time she had felt such intense pain—not even when she'd been tased before. Wesley had to be behind her, there was no doubt in her jumbled mind. He didn't trust her to go through with his orders so he'd had a backup plan. "R…un…"

"What?" Becca started to rise to her feet. "I'm going to call an ambulance."

Nancy's eyes widened as Wesley appeared behind the oblivious girl. "Run!"

Before Becca could realize the threat behind her, Wesley seized her and pressed a rag against her face. Becca let out a muffled scream as she tried to struggle, but Nancy knew it was futile. After a few agonizing moments, she finally went limp in Wesley's arms. Though she tried, Nancy couldn't stop the sob that escaped her as Wesley put the girl down on the porch.

"Son…of a…bitch," Nancy said through clenched teeth, spasms still wracking her body.

Wesley reached into his pocket and pulled out the remote that went to the ankle bracelet she was wearing. Leaning down, he waved it in front of her face. "I may have forgotten to mention that I added a little something extra to your ankle monitor."

Nancy opened her mouth to retort, but before she could get a word out, another bolt of electricity shot through her body.

Wesley's leering smile was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.

* * *

**Sorry about the delay…Homecoming Week was CRAZY! On the plus side, my little sister did win Homecoming Queen, so all the hard work paid off!**

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Caranath, misslady92, VerityD, dolphingirl7, max2013, Cupcake, Jabba1, Alicia Hardy, Michelle Gallichio, Angelvie S, bhar, SC15, and Guest. I appreciate all of you and I love you guys so much!**

**There won't be such a long delay for the next chapter now that things are calming down. **

**By the way, I do already know how this story is going to end and I will leave it at that!**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	24. Twenty Three

**Twenty Three**

* * *

**Violence ahead. You have been warned.**

* * *

It was amazing what a few hours of sleep could do to a person. Frank was feeling much better—level-headed and energized—as he walked to the nurses' station across the hall from Ella's hospital room. He didn't even get bothered by the severe looks they were sending his way, knowing that he deserved it after the way he had acted the previous night.

Instead, he flashed them what he hoped was an apologetic, bashful smile and knew he succeeded when their expressions visibly warmed up to him. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night."

"It's okay," an older nurse with graying brown hair pulled into a loose bun said with a sad smile. "After you left last night, Chief McGinnis showed up and explained the situation to the staff. Your behavior is perfectly understandable, considering what you're going through with your missing fiancée."

Frank shook his head. "But it's not an excuse for me to behave the way I did. I could have hurt someone with my actions."

"Maybe so," the nurse agreed. "But you didn't, so that's what's most important."

Frank couldn't help but feel like a small child as he stood there, listening to the kind nurse forgive him. He wasn't sure if he would be so easily forgiving, especially with how chaotic his life was at the moment. "How is Ella doing this morning?"

"She's improving. The doctor is really impressed with her recovery. She could possibly even be released later today or tomorrow morning."

"That's great to hear," Frank said with a relieved smile. "Did her family ever show up?"

"A couple of hours ago. They actually just left a few minutes ago to find a hotel room."

Frank nodded as he looked at her closed door. "Do you think I can go in and see her for a few minutes?"

The nurse hesitated as she frowned. "Visiting hours doesn't start for another thirty minutes and she really needs her rest." She let out a sigh as she walked around the desk before stopping in front of Ella's door. Opening it up, she quickly peeked inside before turning back to Frank. "She's awake so you can go in for a few minutes. But please, try to take it easy on her. She's had enough excitement what with all the doctors and police parading in and out of her room."

"I understand," Frank said softly. "Thank you."

He flashed the nurse a grateful smile before slipping quietly into the room. Frank didn't miss the way Ella stiffened as her bright green eyes widened slightly before she slowly relaxed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Ella shook her head as she smiled tiredly at him. "It's not you. It's just that when I see you, I can't help but see Wesley, too. You have the same hair color so it's a little disconcerting."

Frank tried not to let that statement bother him as he took a seat in the chair beside her bed. The last thing he wanted was to be compared to that murdering bastard, but he also knew that he couldn't fault Ella for her fear. He was sure that every dark-haired male she looked at would remind her of Wesley.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Frank asked. He glanced up at the television to see one of the morning talk shows was on. The hostess was laughing at something the celebrity guest was saying while trying not to openly flirt with him.

Ella grabbed the remote that was hooked to the bed and turned the television off. "I'm in a little bit of pain, but other than that, I feel okay."

"Do I need to let one of the nurses know you're in pain?"

"No," Ella said with a shake of her head. "I could do without some drugs. I feel like my head is nothing more than a foggy mess with all the pain meds."

Frank nodded his understanding. He'd always hated taking pain medication. In fact, he'd refused to take nothing more than a few ibuprofen for his cracked ribs even though the emergency room doctor had prescribed something stronger. "I wanted to apologize for last night."

"There's no reason for you to apologize, Frank. I knew that you wouldn't actually hurt me. You're scared for Nancy—and you have every right to be." She frowned slightly. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."

Frank chuckled softly. "I think you have a better idea than anyone else, Ella."

"Still…"

It was obvious that Ella didn't want to talk about her time with Wesley, so Frank decided to change the subject. "So, I hear that you may be able to get out of here either today or tomorrow."

Ella nodded. "That's what the doctor told me when he came in earlier. But I'm not going home when I get out."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't go home until you find Nancy and the only way you'll be able to find her is if I help."

Frank shook his head. "Ella, you need time to recover…"

"I'm getting plenty of time in here and I couldn't ever live with myself if I just went home and did nothing to help you." Ella swallowed hard. "Compared to everyone else, I had it pretty easy when it came to Wesley. He didn't even really hurt me until last night when he stabbed me. Yes, he made me watch some pretty horrific things, but he pretty much left me alone."

"Don't downplay what he did to you, Ella. Even if he didn't really hurt you physically, what he did to you mentally was just as bad."

"It's nothing compared to what Nancy's going through with him." When Frank opened his mouth to argue, she continued on. "I know I don't really know much about him or Nancy, but he terrified me more when he interacted with her. He's fixated on her—he made everything about her."

"What exactly are you trying to say, Ella?" Frank asked, fear rising in his chest. Just when he thought there was nothing else about Wesley that could surprise him, he learned something new about the killer.

"I don't know how to describe it," Ella admitted. "He acts almost like a normal person would if they were in love with someone else. The only difference is that he's a psycho and incapable of love."

Frank didn't say anything as he thought about what Ella was saying. Could Wesley—in every twisted sense of the word—actually be in love with Nancy? Was that something that was even possible? Frank had to admit that it didn't seem as far-fetched as it sounded. Who truly knew what people were capable of now?

"Frank?" Ella asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, giving himself a slight shake. "Sorry."

"I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"You didn't."

"If it makes you feel any better, Nancy doesn't feel anything for him. She hates him, even if she doesn't admit it."

"It's okay, Ella. You really don't have to explain anything."

Ella nodded before falling silent as she looked around the hospital room, looking at everything except for Frank. Finally, after a few minutes, she spoke up again. "As soon as I get out of here, I want to see if I can remember where Wesley was holding me."

"You don't have to—"

"I know I don't have to," Ella cut him off impatiently. "I want to do it while it's still fresh in my mind."

Frank nodded. "I'll get in touch with Chief McGinnis and let him know." He stood up from his chair and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "Try to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay."

Giving her arm one more squeeze, Frank walked out of her room and gave a small wave to the nurse sitting at her desk. Walking down the hall a little bit, he pulled out his cell phone and was about to dial Chief McGinnis when his phone rang. He frowned when he saw it was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"_This is Agent Craig with the FBI. We met last night."_

Frank had to bite back his groan of annoyance. The FBI agent was one of the last people that he wanted to talk to. The only person ahead of him on that list just happened to be the son of a bitch who was holding Nancy prisoner.

"_Mr. Hardy?"_

"I'm here," Frank said with a sigh as he pushed the button to call up the elevator. "But now really isn't a good time. I don't feel like getting into it again with you."

"_Not even if it's about your fiancée's case?"_

"Did you find anything in her car? Have you come up with any new leads?"

"_Well, no…"_

"Then I don't want to talk to you."

"_I thought I would call and let you know that we have another missing woman."_

That stopped Frank dead in his tracks. Though he knew it could simply be a coincidence, there was no doubt that it had something to do with Wesley. It looked like his conversation with Chief McGinnis was going to have to wait.

* * *

Nancy groaned softly as her eyes fluttered open to reveal nothing but darkness. She was lying on something cold and hard and for a second, she thought that she was outside, lying in the snow. But that couldn't be right because she wasn't soaking wet and she could still feel every bruising ache that she had.

As soon as the sweet, fetid smell of death hit her nose, she knew with sinking clarity where she was.

She was back in Wesley's basement.

A jolt of fear went down her spine as she quickly sat up, ignoring the wave of dizziness that hit her from the abrupt movement. She wasn't alone. Even though she could barely see her hand in front of her, she knew that Wesley wouldn't leave her down here alone. Becca was in this room with her, somewhere.

Rising shakily to her feet, Nancy's body twitched as the faint traces of electricity still worked its way throughout her body. She should have known that the ankle bracelet Wesley had put on her wouldn't be completely harmless. She should have known that he would have something more twisted up his psychotic sleeve.

Just because he refused to outright kill her didn't mean that he wouldn't hurt her in every way possible.

Letting out a shaky breath, Nancy pushed her hair out of her face and slowly shuffled along the floor, holding her hands out to guide her in the darkness. She wasn't sure if she was in one of the cages or out in the open and she wasn't about to assume anything. For all she knew, Wesley was hiding in the darkness, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

As she moved around, she was relieved to know that she wasn't locked up in the cages. Wesley had left her in the middle of a basement, with no restraints or anything else inhibiting her movements. And while that was a welcomed change, there was no doubt in her mind that it was just another one of his sadistic games.

Silence was so prevalent in the cavernous room, Nancy could clearly hear every beat of her heart as it fluttered wildly in her chest. That was why she was so startled when she heard soft whimper, but she wasn't sure which direction it had come from. Standing absolutely still, she strained her ears to listen and almost thought she had imagined it when she heard it once again, coming from her left.

Nancy took small steps, feeling her way in the darkness as the whimpers became more panicked. Becca was starting to panic as she regained consciousness and it would only be a matter of time before Wesley came to check on them.

"Becca? My name is Nancy Drew," Nancy said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You have to stay quiet or he will come back. I'm making my way over to you now, okay?"

Becca let out another soft whimper as if she was acknowledging what Nancy said. After a few more painstakingly slow moments, Nancy's hand brushed against the metal table before meeting soft, warm flesh. She wished she had a light to show her what was in front of her, but Nancy couldn't risk that right now. It would only alert Wesley and Nancy wanted to have the chance to free Becca and get them both out of there before he came back.

Blindly working her way up Becca's body, Nancy felt the soft feel of fabric on the girl's face. She gingerly pulled it out of her mouth before she began working her way back down to work on her restraints. "Are you okay?"

"Wh-where are we?" Becca asked, shakily. Nancy was glad she was smart enough to keep her voice barely above a whisper.

"In Hell."

"What?"

Nancy let out a soft sight as she fumbled with the ropes around the other woman's wrists. "You're in a basement and that's pretty much all I can tell you. I don't know exactly where we are."

"You're the woman who showed up at my house…"

"Yes."

"What happened to you? You looked as if you were having a seizure when you showed up at my house."

"I wasn't having a seizure," Nancy said as she fumbled with the knots. She was becoming increasingly frustrated as they seemed to only get tighter the more she tried to undo them. "I'll explain everything to you later, but right now, we need to concentrate on getting out of here before he comes back."

"Who?"

Before Nancy could answer her, the room was immediately bathed in light at the same time that another current of electricity shot through her system. Nancy let out a cry as she collapsed to the ground, curling herself into a ball. When she was finally able to see, Nancy saw Wesley walking towards her with a cruel smile on his face as he held out the remote for her to see.

"You always seem to underestimate me, my love."

Becca gave a startled gasp. "Wesley?"

Nancy was sure she didn't hear the other woman correctly. How in the hell did she know Wesley? Surely, Nancy had to be hearing things. It had to be a side effect from the electrical shock she'd just received.

Wesley chuckled as his eyes fell on Becca. "Hello, Becca. It's been a while. You're looking well."

"Why are you doing this?" Becca asked, fear evident in her voice. "What's going on, Wesley?"

"You two know each other?" Nancy asked as she pushed herself up on her hands and knees. She tried to stand, only to find out that her wobbly legs wouldn't support her as she collapsed to the ground once again. She bit back a cry as she felt Wesley grab her arm before pulling her up and pressing her against his body.

"Of course we know each other," Wesley answered with a smile as he stared back at Becca. "Quite well, in fact. We used to date a few years ago. Becca is very excellent in bed." Wrapping an arm around Nancy's neck, he ran his other hand down her body, giving her thigh a squeeze. "But not as good as you, babe."

Nancy tried pulling away from him, but he only tightened his grip on her as he nipped at her ear.

Becca was watching them, her expression alternating between curiosity and revulsion. In the end, it was fear that won out as her hazel eyes widened. "Tell me it's not true…"

Wesley finally turned his attention away from Nancy as he focused on Becca. "What's not true, Bec?"

"You really did kill all of those women? That police officer a couple of days ago?" Becca lifted her head as she slowly took in all of her surroundings, her evident fear mounting with each passing second. "Oh, my God…"

"God has nothing to do with this little shindig."

Nancy closed her eyes as Becca let out a terrified scream. She couldn't blame the girl—it was all Nancy felt like doing lately. Wesley was sadistic and terrifying—she was sure there was not even a trace of humanity left in him.

"Just let her go, Wesley," Nancy begged softly as he began dragging her backwards. She stumbled as she tried to keep up with his movements, but he never eased his grip on her. She had no idea what he was up to; only that it wasn't good.

"Not going to happen," Wesley said as he let go of her briefly to reach for something on the top of one of the many wooded shelves that lined the walls.

Nancy frowned when she saw it was nothing more than a clear sphere that had a plugged hole on either side of it. It almost looked like a helmet that scuba divers would wear. Before she could question it, he had a firm grip on her once again as he led her back towards the table where Becca was restrained. "You don't need to hurt her, Wesley."

Wesley sighed as put the sphere on the table and turned Nancy around to look at him. He captured her face with both of his hands as he forced her to look at him. "I don't plan on hurting her, Nancy. I plan on killing her. You should know by now that I don't half-ass anything. If I wanted to simply hurt Becca, I would have done so at her house and left her there for the police to find."

Becca began screaming and sobbing as she thrashed wildly against her restraints. "Please, don't do this, Wesley! Please just let me go!"

Nancy tried to tune out the girl's screams as she focused all of her attention on Wesley. "I'll do anything, Wesley. Please, just let her go."

"You'll do anything?"

"Yes," Nancy whispered.

Wesley's face instantly darkened, his blue eyes became even colder as his grip on her face tightened. "You're damn right you're going to do anything that I ask of you, Nancy. I don't need your heroics and I don't care for your patronizing tone. You need to realize that there is nothing you can do—you don't call the shots around here. There is only me and what I want. Do you understand?"

Nancy swallowed hard as she tried to pull away from him, refusing to answer. What the hell was she thinking trying to negotiate with him?

"Answer me, you stupid little bitch!" Wesley screamed, his expression enraged.

"Yes!" Nancy cried out, desperately trying to free herself from his excruciating grip. He was squeezing her so hard, she was sure her eyes were about to pop out of her head.

Wesley suddenly let her go, making her stumble back a few steps. Grabbing the clear sphere, he thrust it at Nancy. "Put that over Becca's head. Don't argue with me—just get it done and don't make me have to do it for you."

Nancy glanced down at the sphere and saw there was a seam in the middle that allowed you to open it so it could fit securely over a person's head. She hesitated for a moment, but quickly did as he asked as Wesley took a threatening step towards her. Becca moved her head back and forth, making it difficult for Nancy to fasten it.

Letting out a low growl, Wesley pushed Nancy out of the way and secured the device firmly around her head. Then, taking a roll of duct tape, he wrapped it around Becca's neck several times, sealing the bottom of the sphere.

"What are you going to do to her?" Nancy asked, watching him nervously.

"Don't you mean to ask what _we're_ going to do to her?" Wesley asked with a chilling smile. He walked across the room and grabbed a green water hose and turned it on before dragging it over to the table.

A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach as she watched him with growing dread. Suddenly, the holes in the clear sphere made sense to her. It was a form of water torture. He would fill it up and release it when Becca was close to drowning and keep repeating the process until he grew bored with it.

It was a horrifying form of torture.

Nancy shook her head, holding her hands up to her mouth as she took an involuntary step backwards. "No…"

Wesley didn't let her get very far as he grabbed her again and held her tightly against his chest. Nancy struggled in his grip, desperate to get away, only to stop when he held the small remote in front of her face.

"Don't make me keep shocking you, Nancy. You may be tough, but there is only so much electricity your body can take before it becomes too much for you to handle." Wesley chuckled as he nuzzled her neck. "And let's be honest—I don't want you to turn into a drooling mess on me."

He maintained his grip on her as he leaned down and picked up the water hose, kinking it so it didn't spray water all over the floor. He unplugged one side of the sphere and inserted the hose inside. Becca tried to move her head back and forth but it was difficult in her position. She let out a muffled scream as he released the flow of water inside the helmet.

Nancy could only watch in mounting horror as it slowly filled up with water. Every part of her itched to release the plug on the other side, but Wesley held her hands tightly in front of her. Tears trailed down Nancy's cheeks as she watched Becca take in a deep breath as the water rose above her face.

Wesley didn't pull the hose away until it was completely filled up. He plugged up the hole once more, then took a step back with Nancy as he watched in glee as Becca struggled to hold her breath.

"Pretty soon, she's going to have to release the breath she's holding, Nancy," Wesley whispered into her ear. "How long do you give her? Thirty seconds? Forty-five seconds? A minute? Maybe two? It's amazing what the human body can do when they're pushed to their limits."

"Stop this, Wesley," Nancy begged as her tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Becca's struggles were becoming more frantic as she pulled desperately against the straps that held her down to the table. Eventually, Becca's struggles became more sluggish until they almost ceased completely as she finally released the breath she'd been holding.

"Open the plug, Nancy," Wesley said, releasing her.

Nancy didn't hesitate as she practically launched across the table to remove the stopper from the helmet. Her hands were shaking and it took a couple of attempts before she was able to pull it free, releasing the water inside. She tried to pry the helmet away from Becca's head, but Wesley quickly grabbed her again, pulling her away from the choking woman.

"Let go of me!" Nancy screamed, struggling as hard as she could against him. She lashed out with her feet, kicking back at his shins. Wesley let out a grunt as she connected with his body and his grip loosened. Nancy tore free from him and raced back to Becca's side.

"Help me!" Becca cried, still coughing up water. She looked at Nancy with wide, fearful eyes and Nancy instantly knew that look. She'd seen it before on Wesley's victims—they knew they were going to die.

If Nancy didn't manage to free her now, it was going to be too late for Becca.

Wesley let out a roar of rage as he straightened up to his full height. The look he sent Nancy rooted her to the spot, leaving her petrified by its venom. That moment of hesitation on her part was all that he needed as Wesley rushed her, tackling her to the ground. Nancy let out a cry of pain as her head bounced off the concrete floor, making her see spots dancing in front of her eyes.

Taking advantage of her disorientation, Wesley pulled her up from the ground and dragged her back over to Becca. Locking her legs in between his, Wesley replaced the stopper that Nancy had released before picking up the water hose and inserting it back into the other hole. Becca let out another terrified scream, but it was choked off as water filled the spear once more. It was filling it so rapidly that she didn't have a chance to take another deep breath.

"Watch her, Nancy," Wesley said, his voice a menacing growl.

Nancy shook her head, refusing to open her eyes. It was bad enough that she was forced to listen to Becca's struggles. She would be damned if she was going to stand there and watch the young woman die.

Wesley grasped a chunk of her hair, forcing her head closer to Becca. "Watch her die!"

Nancy couldn't stop the sobs from wracking her body as she watched Becca's struggles become weaker with each passing second. There would be no second chances for her now and Nancy realized it was because of her and her behavior. She never should have lashed out at Wesley—it was stupid and irresponsible.

And now an innocent girl was going to die because of her.

"I told you that it was too late for me, Nancy," Wesley whispered as Becca stopped moving on the table.

Nancy could only stare at Becca, willing her to still be alive by some crazy miracle. But that wasn't going to happen—she didn't need to feel for a pulse to know that the girl was dead.

Wesley chuckled menacingly in her ear as he brought Nancy back to rest against his chest. "Do you still think there's hope for me now?"

* * *

**Wesley's an ass—I know it and you know it. I thought I should just come out and say that.**

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter: dolphingirl7 (Wesley is definitely someone to hate. And don't worry—Nancy will be getting back to Frank soon…), FreshKicks (Wipe the drool…you don't want to damage your computer because if that happens, then you can't see what happens at the end!), Lady Emily (You know that I love my pain and misery…), Cupcake (Nope, not recently engaged and no plans to ever become so! And no, no one else died…life just got really busy, but I should be back for a while now!), Jabba1 (Not twisted at all—Wesley is unpredictable. Even I don't know what he's going to do next!), Michelle Gallichio (Thank you so much!), max2013 (We shall see what happens to Wesley…), SC15 (Don't worry—I will also be watching **_**Once Upon a Time**_** and freaking out every time Hook comes on. He will now always be Wesley to me!), MinecraftDanny (Welcome back! I understand a busy life!), and VerityD (I'll take a gulp any day of the week!).**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	25. Twenty Four

**Twenty Four**

* * *

What should have been a two hour drive, Frank made it in an hour and half. As soon as he'd gotten direction from Agent Craig and hung up, Frank had hopped in his car and tore through the miles. He couldn't help but feel optimistic that they may finally get the break that they've been looking for.

They were getting closer to finding Nancy—he just knew it. He only hoped that she wouldn't be completely broken by the time they found her. It was already going to e difficult enough to put her back together, and even if and when they did, there was no way in hell she was going to be the same person. This wasn't going to be something that she could easily walk away from, no matter how much she tried to pretend everything was okay.

But Frank did know one thing for sure—he would be there for her every single tedious step of the way. If there was anything positive that came out of this nightmare, it was that his love for her had grown even more. He couldn't imagine his life without her in it—it was as simple as that.

Frank slowed down as the computer generated voice on his GPS told him that he was approaching his destination. He was thankful for the little device, knowing that he never would have found Becca Arnold's house without it, considering she pretty much lived in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't a house to be found for miles and the downtown area was at least twenty minutes behind him. If the woman wanted seclusion, she definitely got it here.

As soon as Frank turned into the long, winding driveway, he knew he'd found the right place. Police cars were lined up on either side of the gravel drive, their red and blue lights flashing in the late afternoon hours. Luckily, Frank didn't see any reporter vans around which meant that the police were doing a pretty good job keeping things under wraps.

Or more likely, the FBI was the ones keeping things under wraps.

Frank had to admit, he was impressed even after all the screw-ups the government agency had done in the last few days. He wasn't stupid—they were saving face, trying to correct their mistakes before word got out to the general public. They didn't have anything to worry about with Frank—it wasn't as if he was about to go tattle to them to the nearest news agency. He had enough to deal with as it was.

Pulling up behind the police vehicles, Frank got out of his car and stepped into the fresh snow. He bundled up a little tighter in his jacket, trying to stay warm as flakes continued to fall heavily from the sky. It was a little disconcerting to see the delicate white precipitation covering the property all around him, giving it an almost winter wonderland look, considering it was now the scene of a crime.

Frank kept his head down as he made his way down the rest of the driveway. Officers were milling all around, talking in small groups. Only a few glanced up at him as he made his way past them before turning their attention back to their conversations. He was almost surprised by how easy it was for him to walk right on by without being stopped.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask for you to turn around."

Frank glanced up to see a stocky officer with white blond hair and icy blue eyes staring down at him with his arms crossed over his chest, blocking his way to the porch. "I was beginning to wonder if you just let anyone walk up onto a crime scene," he muttered.

The officer's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "What was that?"

"I was asked to come here," Frank said, ignoring the officer's question.

"And just who exactly would you be?"

"Frank Hardy. I'm a private detective—"

"I don't care who the hell you are. If I were you, I would turn back around and get into your car and drive off," the officer said, smirking. "We have enough to deal with here without having to worry about a wannabe loser trying to play cops and robbers."

Frank could feel his temper rising as he glared up at the lumbering jackass, his hands fisting at his sides. While he may have felt better earlier and less prone to violence, that was quickly changing the longer he stayed around the officer. "Listen, you—"

"Mr. Hardy…glad to see you could make it," Agent Craig said, suddenly appearing beside the officer. Frank couldn't help but notice that the cop only became more agitated at the sight of the agent. "Though I have to admit, I didn't expect you here for another thirty minutes or so."

Frank shrugged. "Traffic was light."

Agent Craig didn't look as if he believed him, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he turned his attention to the cop. "Officer Hillyer, while I appreciate your diligence, you can cool down the guard dog routine. I asked Mr. Hardy to come here."

Hillyer barely acknowledged Craig before tuning his scathing glare on Frank. Frank didn't back down as he stared right back, just daring the officer to say something else to him. He was pretty sure he would hit him for spite at this point. Frank vaguely wondered if Agent Craig would vouch for him when he was arrested.

Probably not. It wasn't exactly as if Frank had been the FBI's biggest supporter these past couple of days—or months.

Officer Hillyer finally stepped aside and let Frank pass, but not before bumping him in the shoulder as he walked by. While every part of him wanted to clock him one, Frank merely shrugged it off and walked away with the agent towards the front porch.

"I'm assuming the two of you won't be best buddies by the time you leave here," Craig said with a smirk.

"I'm assuming the same could be said for the two of you," Frank retorted as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Hell no. I think Hillyer's an asshole."

"Finally something we can agree on."

Craig snorted as he came to a stop on the bottom step. Frank noticed several officers collecting evidence as Agent Whalen barked out orders. "Listen, before we go any further, I just wanted to apologize. I know we've had our differences and that tensions are running high, but I want you to know that we are doing everything possible to locate your fiancée."

Frank nodded as he let out a deep breath. As much as he didn't like the agent standing before him, he also didn't like the idea of constantly being at each other's throats. It wasn't accomplishing anything except for causing his blood pressure to rise. It wouldn't be such a bad thing to put their differences aside until they found Nancy.

Then he could go back to not liking the agent.

"I appreciate that," Frank said as Craig continued to look at him. He held out his hand to shake the agent's hand. "Did you ever find anything in Nancy's car?"

Craig shook his head as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Nothing that would help us anyway. Of course, there were fingerprints that matched to Wesley Levine, not to mention traces of blood in the backseat that matched Miss Drew's—which isn't surprising since we know how violent the son of a bitch can be. I think I would be more surprised if there wasn't any."

While the thought of even a drop of Nancy's blood being shed angered him, Frank couldn't help but agree with Craig. Wesley was never one to treat any of his victims gently—he thrived on pain and violence. His past murders were big indicators of that.

And while blood may have meant something horrible to anyone else, Frank took it as anything but that. It meant that Nancy had fought back against Wesley. She didn't go down against the bastard without a fight. Pride swelled inside of Frank at the thought.

"Other than that, there's nothing that can pinpoint Wesley's exact location," Craig said, with a solemn shake of his head. "All we can hope for is that Miss Jacobs will be able to give us some details once she's released from the hospital."

Frank nodded, but said nothing to that. He still had every intention of going alone with Ella when she felt able. He didn't want the police involved, especially since he was pretty sure he was going to end up killing Wesley. It would be particularly hard to do with the police swarming the place.

"So, what happened here?" Frank asked, nodding towards the porch where the police were diligently working.

"Earlier today, a woman by the name of Becca Arnold was abducted."

"Who called it in?"

Craig nodded to a couple of detectives talking to a man dressed in a brown uniform. "A delivery driver. When he drove up, he noticed the door was wide open. He yelled for Miss Arnold and when she didn't answer, he called the police."

"Did he go into the house?"

"He actually had the common sense not to do that," Craig said, surprise evident in his voice. "When the first responders arrived, they checked out the place and found no sign of her, but her purse and keys were still in the house."

"And we're thinking that she didn't just run away?"

Craig shook his head. "According to the delivery drive, Miss Arnold is something of a recluse. He's here almost every day bringing her deliveries—he's never noticed anyone around. A couple of officers went into town to talk to a few of the residents and they all confirmed what the delivery guy said."

"What the hell would make Wesley come all the way out here and take some random woman?"

"That's actually where things get a little interesting."

"What do you mean?" Frank asked with a frown.

"I decided to play off on a hunch and gave them Levine's picture to show around." Craig's face actually broke out into a grin. It almost gave him a pleasant appearance instead of the severe one he wore all the time. "You'll never guess what we found out."

Frank really wasn't in the mood to play any guessing games so he just stared back at the agent, urging him to keep going.

Craig's grin fell off his face as he realized Frank wasn't interested. "Apparently, Miss Arnold and Levine dated a while back ago."

Frank couldn't have been more surprised if he'd just been told he'd won the lottery. "Are you serious?"

"As a damn heart attack."

"All the other victims since October—did he have any association with them?"

None. From what we've gathered, he targeted past victims."

Frank nodded. "That's what we figured out, too."

"What we're having trouble wrapping our head around is why in the hell is he so fixated on your fiancée. He never keeps his victims alive—he usually kills them in a matter of hours."

"He's obsessed with her. I think Nancy challenges him and he gets off on it." Frank couldn't help but cringe as soon as he said the words. He still hadn't told the agent or police about Nancy being raped by the bastard. He figured it would be best if he kept that little tidbit of information to himself, especially since it was possible they would pull him away from the case if they found out. "I think he wants her to suffer for as long as possible."

"I think you may be right about that. Come on, I have something else to show you." Craig nodded as he led the way into the house. "Something that I think you may find very interesting."

"Do I really want to know?" Frank asked as he followed the agent into the darkened house. A team of forensics agents were going over every detail of the house and paid them no mind as they walked past them and through the kitchen. They came to a stop at a door beneath the stairs.

"I think you'll definitely want to see this." The grin was back on Craig's face but before Frank could shoot it down, he opened the door and led the way inside the small room.

Frank couldn't hide his shock as he took in the room. An elaborate security system had been set up with monitors taking up one wall and computers sitting on a desk in the middle. Every room in the house could be seen on the monitors, not to mention several that were from outside all around the perimeter of the house.

Craig tapped the lone detective on the shoulder and indicated that she should leave. Giving them both a bashful smile, the woman quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

"What the hell is this?" Frank asked, unable to hide the wonder in his voice.

"Apparently, Miss Arnold valued her safety and security," Craig explained as he sat down in front of one of the computers. "Or she was very paranoid. Either way, she gave us confirmation that it was Wesley who was behind her abduction—not that we had any doubts."

Frank sat down in the other seat as Craig's fingers began moving over the keyboard. Soon, the front of Becca's house showed up on the computer screen. At first, there was nothing there that Frank could see before a car drove into the camera frame. Frank's heart nearly beat out of his chest as he caught a familiar figure in the passenger seat.

"Nancy…" he whispered.

"That's what we're thinking," Craig admitted. "Just keep watching."

His eyes remained riveted on the screen as Craig typed in a few more commands. It wasn't long before the scene changed to Becca's front porch where the woman from the car appeared at the front door. Frank frowned as he watched the scene, confused by the dark-haired woman who was ringing the doorbell. There was no way that could be Nancy—her hair was way lighter than what he was seeing on the screen.

Frank's breath caught in his throat as the woman turned and stared directly into the camera. "He colored her hair."

"You're sure that's Miss Drew?"

"There's no doubt in my mind," Frank said, his fists clenching tightly. "He changed her appearance to make her less noticeable."

Craig nodded as he pointed to the screen. "There's more."

_Of course there's more_, Frank thought bitterly. But he continued to watch nonetheless. It was as if he was watching the worst horror movie possible as the front door opened to reveal Becca Arnold. He watched, completely riveted, as she and Nancy exchanged words before Nancy suddenly collapsed onto the porch, twitching uncontrollably. If he didn't know any better, he could swear that Nancy was having a seizure or being electrocuted.

After that, everything seemed to go to hell and back as Becca fell to her knees beside Nancy, who continued to writhe on the porch. Nancy seemed to notice something behind Becca, but before the young woman could turn around, Wesley appeared behind her and grabbed her, placing a rag over her mouth. Within a matter of seconds, the woman went limp in his grasp and he dropped her before focusing his attention on Nancy.

Frank could barely control his rage as he watched the killer say something to Nancy before holding up something in his hand for her to see. Her eyes widened in obvious fear before she was jolted off the ground, only to fall back unconscious. As soon as the scene was finished, Craig turned it off and glanced at Frank.

"At least we know that your fiancée is still alive," Craig said gently.

Frank grit his teeth, unable to say anything for fear of lashing out. While he was grateful that Nancy was still alive, it didn't matter, knowing that she'd been hurt yet again by the killer. Frank's rage towards Wesley was only mounting with each passing second. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it in check before he lost it completely.

"I didn't have you come in here to watch this just so you could see what Levine was doing to Nancy."

"Why did you have me come in here?"

"Because we may have actually got the break that we've been looking for."

Frank kept his optimism to himself as he watched Craig type in another series of commands. He couldn't afford to lose his focus and grasp onto hope when everything seemed to go against him. That's why when the next image popped up in his screen, he almost fell out of his chair, sure he wasn't seeing it correctly.

There, staring back at him in grainy clarity was a license plate number.

* * *

**And that's a wrap on another chapter. We're getting so close to the end of this little ditty—I'm thinking a few more chapters at most.**

**I would love to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Angelvie S (Thank you so much! Glad you like it!), Caranath (There's a lesson to be learned—never go on vacation when I'm writing a story. You only come back to horror and terror!), Cupcake (I wish you knew me, too! Drowning is one of my worst fears…I couldn't imagine going out that way), FreshKicks (I'm so glad you like Wesley, even if he is terrifying!), SC15 (I've lost count with Nancy's head bump tally…let's just go with a lot), misslady92 (Glad I can warn you! I would hate for you to read something that may bother you!), mg (Glad you like it!), catlover1033 (I would never want to kill a faithful reviewer! I love and respect you too much!), and Michelle Gallichio (The reunion will be coming soon!).**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	26. Twenty Five

**Twenty Five**

* * *

**There are once again references to rape in this chapter (but very late in the chapter). You have been warned.**

* * *

It only took an hour before they finally had a hit on the license plate. The car was in fact registered to Wesley Levine and according to the car's registration, the address was only an hour and a half away from Becca Arnold's house—and an hour away from River Heights. The bastard had practically been under their noses the entire time.

That angered Frank more than anything else. The fact that Nancy was so close to him, but still far enough away where he couldn't find her. He had to give it to Wesley—he was clever and confident.

But confidence had a way of coming back to bite you in the ass if you were too cocky. And Wesley was about to learn that fact the hard away in the form of a very pissed off Frank Hardy beating down his door.

Frank sat on the porch railing as Agents Craig and Whalen conversed quietly with each other. He barely felt the cold as excitement and adrenaline coursed through his body. They were actually coming to the end of this nightmare. In just a few short hours, Nancy would be back where she belonged—in the comfort in his arms. And Frank knew one thing for sure—it was going to be a very long time before he ever let her go again.

If ever.

Yes, he knew that it would probably piss her off, but she would just have to deal with it. It was either stick by her side for the rest of her life or lock her up in the highest tower that he could find. He was pretty sure she would never go for the latter idea though.

Frank glanced up as Craig broke away from Whalen and approached him. His hands were shoved deep into his coat pockets as he huddled against the biting wind. "Whalen is getting in contact with the Dyersville Police Department and letting them know what's going on. Hopefully, by the time we get there, we'll have a pretty decent sized team ready to haul Levine in."

"What about me?" Frank asked, sure that the agent was going to make him sit out on the raid. After all, he wasn't an agent and if anyone had a decent brain, they would refuse to let him anywhere near the raid, considering how personal it was for him. But then again, they did alert him to Becca's disappearance, so maybe all hope wouldn't be completely dashed.

"Though it goes against the rules, it would be stupid of me to ask you to go home and let us handle this," Craig said, flashing him a rueful grin. "And I'm not stupid."

Frank immediately stood up as a relieved smile broke out on his own face.

Craig held up a warning hand. "Just because I'm letting you go along doesn't mean you're going to be part of the raid. I expect you to stay in the car."

"But—"

"There will be no arguments, Mr. Hardy. You either do it my way or I throw your ass in jail for interfering with a police investigation. Understood?"

"Fine," Frank said, not wanting to push his luck.

"Good," Craig said. "And just to make sure that we understand each other, I'll ride along with you."

Frank didn't even bother to try to hide his annoyance as he led the way to his car.

* * *

Nancy felt completely numb as Wesley dragged her up the basement stairs and towards his bedroom. Becca's death replayed over and over in her mind like a video playing on a continuous loop. She should have tried harder to save the other woman. She should never have let Wesley get that far with her.

How many more deaths did she have to witness before it became too much? How many more until Wesley finally grew tired of murdering other innocent women before he turned his focus onto her? Why the hell did she deserve to live and the others had to die? How much longer before she finally lost it and turned into the shell of a human that Wesley was determined to make her into?

The last question was easy to answer: not long at all. The edge of insanity was right there, just mere inches from the tips of her toes. One more solid push and that would be all it took for her to throw in the towel and let Wesley win. Nancy just wasn't sure if she could fight anymore; she'd never felt so helpless in her life.

The only thing she knew for sure was that she couldn't watch anyone else die.

Nancy was so wrapped up in her morbid thoughts that she didn't realize Wesley had pushed her onto his bed until he was tying her hands above her head. She instantly snapped to attention as she began thrashing underneath him, trying to pull her hands out of his grip as he wrapped the rope around her wrists several times before tethering them to the bed.

"Oh, good. You're still here," Wesley said with a smile as he made the ropes so tight they were nearly cutting off her circulation. "I was beginning to think that I had lost you."

"What the hell are you doing?" Nancy demanded as she pulled against the rough ropes, only to have them bite cruelly into her tender skin.

Wesley slid off of her as he moved down to her feet. "You didn't really think your behavior downstairs would go unpunished, did you?"

"You killed Becca, you son of a bitch!"

"Yes, but that was always the plan. That wasn't because of the way you behaved." He chuckled darkly as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt before tossing it across the room. Nancy didn't miss the way his muscles rippled as he moved or the chiseled cut of his abs. "As much as I may not agree, the world doesn't revolve around you, Nancy. It's a shame, really."

"What is?" Nancy asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice. She didn't need an instruction manual to tell her what was about to happen again. She knew exactly how Wesley planned to punish her.

"We could have had so much fun with Becca. I planned to prolong her death for hours."

Nancy's fear quickly turned to anger as Wesley walked down to the foot of the bed. "If you ask me, I would consider her death a blessing."

"I'm sure she would agree with you." Wesley smiled as he opened the chest at the foot of the bed. "It's too bad that we can't ask her opinion on the subject."

"You're a bastard," Nancy muttered, pulling against her restraints.

"Not really, no. I have two very loving parents who think the world revolves around me." Wesley closed the lid and Nancy saw he was holding a small wooden box in his hands.

"Obviously they haven't been watching the news."

"Actually they have. My mother even has a photo book showing all of the newspaper clippings about me."

"That's just sick," Nancy said, fixing him with a glare. "What kind of parents sit by and do nothing as their son murders innocent women? They're just as screwed up as you are."

Nancy knew immediately that was the wrong thing to say as Wesley's face turned a bright shade of crimson. Before she could register his movements, he was beside her, delivering a savage backhand to her face. Nancy cried out as blood instantly filled her mouth. Turning her head, she tried to spit it out, but Wesley grabbed her chin and forced her mouth closed.

"Swallow it."

Shaking her head, Nancy refused to do as he said. Sure, she had inadvertently swallowed her own blood before, but it was the fact that he was forcing her to do it that made her want to refuse. It was barbaric and disgusting and the last thing she wanted was to give him the pleasure.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the choice as he used his other hand to hold her nose, cutting off all of her air supply. Nancy let out a whimper as she tried to twist away from him, holding her breath for as long as she could. Finally, it became impossible for her to hold her breath any longer and she had no choice but to swallow the blood.

Wesley gave her a satisfied smile before releasing her. Nancy's face was throbbing painfully and as she moved her tongue around to feel for any additional damage, she realized that one of her back teeth were loose.

_Great,_ she thought to herself as Wesley stepped away from her. Nancy noticed the wooden box was on the bed beside her, but Wesley made no immediate move to retrieve it. Instead, he picked up a knife from the bedside table and held it up to the light. Nancy saw it was the very same knife she had used to free herself from the basement. She had wondered where she'd left it.

He sat down on the bed beside her and brought the tip of the blade to rest against the hollow of her throat. Nancy swallowed hard as she kept her eyes on his sapphire ones, knowing that he was daring her to attempt to fight back as he slowly and deliberately sliced her shirt open. Nancy shivered as the chill in the air kissed her bare skin.

"You know what's going to happen next, don't you, my love?" Wesley whispered as he moved the tip of the blade faintly against her skin.

"Please, don't do this, Wesley," Nancy begged, her voice barely above a whisper.

"This is something you're going to have to get used to, Nancy. I plan on doing this every single night." He fixed her with an unwavering stare. "If you just stopped fighting it, you would see that I can be a very gentle lover."

Nancy shook her head. "I will never stop fighting you, Wesley."

Wesley let out a deep, humorless chuckle. "Eventually you will. I plan on breaking you to my will, my love. Soon enough, you'll be begging me for it."

"No!" Nancy struggled against her bonds as he stood up and unbuckled her jeans. She kicked out of him, but he barely acknowledged the blows as he yanked her pants off and threw them across the room, leaving her in only her bra and underwear. Nancy continued to scream until her throat hurt from the effort, but Wesley made no move to quiet her.

Instead, he reached for the wooden box and pulled the lid off of it. Nancy's blue eyes widened fearfully as he pulled out a large tarantula and held it in his hands as if it was some revered pet and not a venomous creature. She couldn't help the whimpers that escaped her lips as she recalled her time with his beloved spiders.

"Oh, good…you remember my little friends." Wesley turned to Nancy with a smile. She also didn't miss the almost gleeful glint to his eyes. He put the box down before lowering the spider to her bare stomach.

Nancy almost didn't bite back the scream forming in her throat before it turned into a pitiful moan. She didn't move an inch as the spider stared back at her, remaining still.

"Now, tarantulas will bite if they are provoked. As long as you remain still, he won't bite. It's very important for you not to react as he moves along your body. Though his bites aren't fatal, they can be very painful." Wesley moved down to her feet as he pulled out a couple of lengths of rope from his pocket. "And you remember how painful spider bites can be, don't you, my love?"

She didn't say anything as she kept her eyes on the huge spider. She was even afraid to take a breath. Yes, she remembered how painful the bites could be. She had the scars on her stomach to prove it. If she concentrated hard enough, she could even recall the spider biting her repeatedly as if it had happened yesterday.

Wesley hummed to himself as he wrapped the ropes around each of her ankles and spread them to either side of the bed before tying them off. All the while, Nancy refused to move. She didn't even think she could move if she had the choice—it was as if she was petrified wood.

As soon as he was finished with her feet, Wesley stripped off his own jeans and tossed them across the room where they landed beside hers. He then grabbed a roll of blue vet wrap and walked to the head of the bed. Nancy refused to take her eyes off the spider, even as Wesley lifted her head and began wrapping the blue sticky fabric around her mouth several times before tearing it off and throwing it on top of the bedside table.

"You're doing very well, Nancy. I have to admit, I am very impressed with how still you are being." Wesley smiled as he climbed on top of her, straddling her. "It's amazing what a little incentive can do to make you behave yourself."

There were so many things Nancy wished she could say to him. There were so many things she wished she could do to him as he slowly cut away at her panties. She envisioned so many ways to kill him in that very moment that could have instantly earned her the death penalty without her enacting on a single one.

But as soon as the spider began crawling along her stomach, every thought escaped her as panic began to seep in. She barely felt the tears as they streaked down her cheeks, but she refused to sob so as not to provoke the hairy spider further.

And then, when Wesley entered her, reason also decided to vacate the premises.

All there was no was a burning rage. And Nancy allowed her rage to consume her and numb her as he ravaged her body for his own pleasure.

There would be no third time after this.

* * *

**So, I originally wasn't going to have Wesley rape Nancy again, but when I thought about it and spoke to Lady Emily about it, we both agreed that it wouldn't be just a onetime deal on Wesley's part. It would be something that he would derive pleasure from over and over again. Once again, I didn't make it graphic because I know your imagination could make it much worse than anything I could write.**

**Now, on to the good news…the rescue mission happens in the next chapter!**

**I would like to thank everyone who has added me to their favorites/alert lists and especially everyone who has taken the time to review: Alicia Hardy (It really is a love/hate relationship with Wesley, isn't it?), Caranath (Sorry about the whole stupid government shutdown crap…and Joe will be coming back for the end!), Michelle Gallichio (We shall see what happens to Wesley…), Jabba1 (The conclusion is very near. As for what will happen, you shall find out in the next chapter!), catlover1033 (I keep going back and forth on what will happen to Wesley myself…I still don't actually know…), max2013 (Thank you!), SC15 (You would be correct on Nancy's torture-filled night. And Becca wasn't exactly paranoid. Just nervous about living all alone…), MinecraftDanny (You are not an idiot…I think you're pretty amazing!), AngelvieS (I hope he can, too!), Cupcake (And now I have made you fear **_**The Princess Bride**_**…oh, dear), FreshKicks (I hate that I can't give anything away…), j (You are so very welcome! Glad you are enjoying it!), and misslady92 (Lots and lots of therapy…you have no idea…)**

**Sorry that it took a little longer to get this chapter out…lots of overtime at work since the owners went on vacation and then I had to worry about the little tropical storm that ended up turning into nothing! **

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


	27. Twenty Six

**Twenty Six**

* * *

Frank sighed in frustration as he pressed on the brakes, barely avoiding missing hitting the car in front of him. His car slid on the icy road and while every instinct was screaming at him to fight against the pull of the wheels, he simply let the vehicle continue its sideways momentum until it coasted to a stop.

He couldn't help but be amused by Mother Nature and her version of a sense of humor. All day, the snow had held back as the skies remained overcast. But the moment they pulled out of Becca's driveway and started towards Dyersville, the skies opened up with the gentle fall of snow flurries. And, of course, it couldn't stop there—what would a good snowstorm be without the howling of the wind?

Frank glanced at the clock, the green numbers illuminating in the darkness of the car as it showed it nearing six in the evening. They should have been to Dyersville by now. They should have already surrounded Wesley's home and had him under arrest. And most of all, Frank should have been already holding Nancy in his arms, refusing to let her go.

Instead, they were still about fifteen minutes out and driving at a snail's pace. Walking would have been a much better alternative at that moment. It took Frank everything he had not to throw open the car door and run out into the frigid night.

"Isn't there another way into town?" Frank grumbled as he stared out at the taillights in front of him. He'd already asked if they could just blow through the traffic with sirens blaring, but Craig had said it wasn't safe to do that. He wouldn't risk any of his fellow agents or police officers—a statement that he remained adamant about, no matter how many times Frank asked.

"As I've told you a few times already, there's just the one road. Dyersville isn't heavily populated," Craig said with a sigh. "In fact, it's barely even a blip on the map."

"Which is precisely why Wesley picked it."

"We've always known that he wasn't stupid."

Frank would never admit that Craig was right about Wesley Levine. With all the criminals he had come across in his storied career, Frank knew for a fact he'd never met any who was as smart and clever as the former FBI agent. There was a reason that Wesley hadn't been caught yet—he was simply that good. Part of Frank wondered if they were simply chasing another false lead.

He simply couldn't believe that Wesley would have slipped up.

He was never that lucky when it came to solving a case.

"Thank God," Frank muttered as traffic started to move once again. He gently pressed on the gas, being careful not to wrap his car around one of the many copses of trees lining either side of the road.

Craig only grunted his agreement as Frank continued to follow the convoy of vehicles ahead of him. He'd been quiet for the majority of the drive, only reiterating every few miles that Frank was to stay in the car when they arrived at their destination. The first few times, Frank had argued with him, but he quickly learned it was just better to pacify the grizzled agent.

Frank knew there was no way in hell he was going to stay behind in the car. He'd worry about repercussions later. None of that mattered as long as he found Nancy and got her away from the sadistic killer. He would gladly take any punishment doled out to him as long as at the end of the day, Nancy was safe at home where she belonged.

They drove for the next few minutes in silence, each man lost in their own thoughts. Frank was sure that Craig was coming up with different ways to ensure he stayed in the car as they executed their raid. He couldn't help but wish that Joe was tagging along with him, needing the support and humor that his younger brother offered in times of high stress. But his brother had problems of his own and he would never pull him away from Vanessa in her time of need. Just as he knew that Joe would give him the same courtesy if their roles were reversed.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the pileup of cars ahead of him until he was practically on top of them. Jerking the wheel to the right, Frank tried to regain control of the swerving car as it twisted wildly on the icy road. Agent Craig's frantic yells barely registered in his brain as he concentrated on the task at hand, but he knew it was a losing battle.

Frank knew the worst thing he could do was brace himself for impact. Instead, he let his body go limp as it ran off into the ditch and collided with a stand of trees, his head bouncing off the steering wheel. His body jerked against the seat belt as the airbag deployed, the vehicle coming to a grinding halt.

He was momentarily knocked unconscious—whether it was a few seconds or a few minutes, he wasn't sure. When he slowly opened his eyes, he found that his left eye was covered by a red haze. Bringing his hand up, he wasn't surprised to discover blood. He must have hit his head a little harder than he thought. Glancing to his right, he saw that Agent Craig was still unconscious, blood trailing down his face to pool in the collar of his crisp white shirt. His left arm was bent at an awkward angle, no doubt broken.

Frank let out a groan as he unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed against the door, surprised to find it opened easily. Stepping out in the snow, he couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. Several cars were piled together, smoke emitting from their hoods, but there was little to no movement. He wasn't even sure if people were just hurt or maybe even dead. And while a part of him was concerned about the others, another part of him saw his opportunity to get to Nancy without anyone standing in his way.

He pulled out his cell phone and brought up the GPS program. He'd managed to snag Wesley's address when the agents weren't paying any attention, just in case he had a chance to break away from them. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was only five minutes away—by car. It would take a little more time on foot, but he couldn't simply just stay there and wait for everyone to wake up.

His mind made up, Frank reached back into his car and opened the glove compartment. He pulled out a flashlight and his gun, making sure the weapon was loaded before tucking it into the back waistband of his jeans. He gave Agent Craig one more look before taking off down the road, towards his destination.

Towards Nancy.

* * *

Nancy's face was void of emotion as Wesley climbed off of her, taking the tarantula off of her stomach to return it to its box. If there was one word she could use to describe herself it would be empty. She felt absolutely empty inside, a hollow shell of the person she used to be. If that was Wesley's plan all along, to make her feel completely lost inside, he succeeded. There was nothing left he could take, she had nothing left to give.

She stared at him blankly as he pulled on his jeans and smiled down at her. She finally had to resign herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do, that there was going to be no rescue coming for her anytime soon. How could she possibly expect to be found when she had no clue where she was herself? Wesley would continue to torment and torture her until she finally just gave in.

Maybe it would just be easier if she gave in to him.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Nancy hated herself. There was no way in hell she was going to give in to him. Just as she knew there was no way in hell she was going to let him rape her again. Though she had no control over her situation, she still had control over her body. And if she couldn't escape him, there was always another alternative. One she never entertained before, but one she couldn't possibly be blamed for if she chose that path.

Yes, it would hurt everyone she loved, especially her dad and Frank. But they would have to understand that she didn't have another choice. She knew without any doubt at all they wouldn't want her to suffer. And every second she stayed with Wesley, she was suffering.

Wesley picked up the knife from the table and cut away her gag before leaning in to kiss her softly. Nancy didn't react, mimicking a limp doll as his lips crushed against hers, his tongue dancing with hers. It didn't seem to bother him that she wasn't reciprocating—he continued to invade her mouth, groaning softly to himself. After a few more moments, he cut away the rest of her bonds and helped her to her feet.

"Why don't you get yourself cleaned up while I make us something to eat," he said as he gave her a gentle nudge towards the bathroom. "I'm sure you have to be starving. I know I am."

At first, Nancy was confused and a little shocked that he was letting her go into the bathroom by herself. Every other time, he'd accompanied her and watched her like a hawk. Maybe with her lack of reaction to him, he figured she wouldn't try anything.

If that was true, he had another thing coming.

As soon as she entered the bathroom, she closed the door behind her. She ignored the shower completely as she grabbed a terry robe hanging from a hook on the door and slipped it on, tying it tightly around her waist. She glanced up at the mirror, a sob escaping her throat at the person staring back at her. She didn't even recognize herself anymore—sure, the same blue eyes and face reflected back at her, but it wasn't the same person she used to be.

If anything, Nancy hated her reflection now.

She didn't even think as she let out an angry scream and slammed her fist into the mirror. The glass cracked where she hit it, several shards dropping into the sink. Her hand throbbed in pain, her knuckles torn and bloody. But it was only a momentary relief from her emotional torment. The same dead eyes stared back at her, almost mocking her with pity.

Nancy needed to focus on something else besides her eyes. Unfortunately, her eyes settled on the dark hair cascading down her back in tangled waves. She began opening drawers, searching through them frantically. It wasn't until she opened the third drawer that she found what she was looking for.

Scissors.

Taking clumps of her hair, Nancy began chopping the locks away. She didn't care that it wasn't even and that it looked like a child had gotten a hold of her hair by the time she was finished. She didn't stop cutting at the disgusting locks until she reached her shoulders. Even then, it wasn't enough—she wanted to cut it all away until there was nothing left. The only thing that prevented her from continuing was her brain finally catching up to her, telling her what she now held in her hands.

A way out.

Nancy turned her arm over, revealing her wrist. The vein pounded fiercely underneath the delicate skin there in time with her pounding heart. It would be so easy to swipe the sharp blade across her skin, ending her suffering and misery. Just one swipe of the blade and she could finally be free.

She stared at the glinting blade in awe as she opened the scissors up. Running her finger lightly over the blade, she hissed as it cut into her finger. Blood instantly welled up, dripping onto the white marble counter with distinctive little drops.

The door opened before Nancy could do it, causing her to whirl around and face Wesley.

"I have some—" His blue eyes narrowed in anger when he spotted the blood and the scissors gripped tightly in her hand. His glare moved slowly up her body until they finally rested on her chopped hair."What are you doing?"

"N-nothing…"

Wesley chuckled, but it held no humor as he stepped further into the bathroom. "You weren't honestly contemplating killing yourself, were you, my love?"

Nancy said nothing as she backed away from him, the scissors still held tightly in her grip.

"Do you really think I'm about to let you do something so stupid?" He shook his head sadly. "I can see I'm going to have to make more drastic measures with you, Nancy. I wanted to give you some space and some freedom, but I can clearly see you need constant supervision." He came to a stop a few feet in front of her and held out his hand. "Give me the scissors."

She stared back at his hand, maintaining a death grip on the scissors. They were her only saving grace at the moment and she'd be damned if she was going to willingly hand them over. Her eyes darted up to Wesley's face and she could see he was slowly beginning to lose patience with her by the twitch of the muscle in his jaw. She knew without a doubt that he would take them from her by force.

Nancy wasn't about to stand there and wait for his attack. She didn't care that it was reckless. Desperation did wonders to a human being who was pushed to their limits and she had gone beyond hers.

Tonight, one of two things would happen: she would be killed or she would escape Wesley. There was simply no other outcome.

Wesley took a deliberate step towards her and she didn't hesitate as she lashed out with the scissors, aiming for his chest. As if he sensed what she was going to do before she struck, Wesley knocked her hand away, barely flinching as the scissors slashed his arm before they clattered to the floor and slid out of her reach.

Nancy was momentarily distracted by the stream of blood that ran down his arm and that instant of hesitation came back to bite her in the ass as Wesley lunged for her and shoved her against the wall. She bit back a cry as pain reverberated throughout her body. Wesley grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her head back as his other hand wrapped around her throat.

"When are you going to learn to stop fighting me, Nancy?" he ground out with a savage jerk of her head. "Do you like it when I hurt you?" Spinning her around, he shoved her back against the wall so he could stare into her eyes. One hand remained on her throat as his other hand found its way beneath her robe. "If I had known you got off on pain, I would have done this from the beginning. It would have made it so much more enjoyable. Maybe we should have an encore performance…would you like that, my love?"

Nancy couldn't stop the scream from bubbling out of her throat as his hand worked its way up her body. She didn't think, or even hesitate, as she brought her leg up and kneed Wesley in his groin as hard as she could—not once, but twice. Wesley let out a roar of pain as he let go of her, clutching himself tightly between the legs. Nancy spotted the scissors lying harmlessly by the door and rushed over to pick them up, stabbing Wesley in the leg before he could make another grab for her.

Wesley let out another roar of pain as one hand remained at his groin and the other grabbed for the scissors sticking out of his leg.

Turning, Nancy bolted out of the bathroom. She only had a small window of escape and she couldn't afford to hesitate. Wesley wouldn't stay down for long—that she knew with absolute certainty. She had no idea where she was going to go, only that she needed to run. She would never make it to the garage in time, so she would do the only thing she could do—run and pray like hell that she could find someone to help her.

All of a sudden, the house was plunged into complete and utter darkness. Nancy wasn't sure if Wesley had done it or it had something to do with the raging snowstorm outside. The only sound she could discern besides the frantic pounding of her own heart was the howling of the wind. Still, she wasn't about to let that stop her as she made a beeline for the door.

Her hand was just brushing against the doorknob, just millimeters from freedom when she was tackled from the side and brought down with a heavy crash. The only thing that prevented her from being hurt any worse was the fact that there was carpet to cushion her fall. Before she could even think about getting to her feet once more, Wesley was on top of her, straddling her. Nancy didn't hesitate as she beat against his chest before clawing at his face, leaving behind deep gashes with her fingernails.

Wesley only laughed at her attempts to dislodge him, which only made Nancy even angrier. Her eyes locked onto his as she remembered the wound on his leg. She struck out at him, digging her fingers into the wound, ignoring the feel of warm blood as it coated her fingers. It made her feel good to see him in so much pain and for her to know that she was the one who was causing it.

With a brutal backhand across her face, Wesley grabbed her hands and brought them above her head, pinning them in place. It was the second time he had hit her in the course of a few hours and it only brought even more incredible pain to her face, dislodging her loose tooth completely. Nancy spit it out with a groan before she could choke on it. She tried moving her legs so she could get them between their bodies, but Wesley only leaned down further, pressing his muscular weight against hers.

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he reached between their bodies and slowly unknotted the tie holding her robe in place.

"No!" Nancy screamed as she thrashed wildly underneath him. "Get off of me! Get off of me!"

Wesley ignored her as he pulled the sash away, leaving her open and exposed. Keeping his grip tight on her wrists, he brought the sash up and started to loop it around her wrists just as the front door burst open, cold wind barreling into the house before revealing the dark outline of a man standing in the doorway, holding a gun.

Nancy didn't need the lights to tell her who it was. There was no doubt in her mind who was standing in the open doorway.

"Frank…" she uttered, letting out a choked sob.

Frank growled deeply, stepping into the faint glow of moonlight shining in through the windows. She couldn't remember a time he had looked so angry and terrifying as he stared back at Wesley. Frank's eyes shifted to hers and just for the briefest of moments, his expression softened slightly before turning to stone once more.

Wesley chuckled as he tightly cinched the knot. "Look who decided to join us, my love."

"Get off of her," Frank said, his voice surprisingly calm. Nancy wasn't sure how he was managing to keep his anger in check because it was clear by the hard set of his jaw that he was pissed.

"You're just in time for an encore, Frank," Wesley said as he glanced down at Nancy with a leering smile. "We've never done it in front of an audience. It could be fun."

Nancy let out a terrified gasp as his hand cupped her right breast, giving it a firm squeeze.

Without warning, a gunshot rang out and Wesley dropped away from her, clutching his shoulder in pain. Nancy quickly scrambled away from him, pushing back with her feet as she tried to put as much distance between them as possible. She almost couldn't believe what she was seeing—Frank had actually shot him. She turned her wide eyes on Frank, his gaze unflinching as he stared back at Wesley, almost daring him to make another move towards her.

"Move away from him, Nancy," Frank said, his voice soft. It was more terrifying to her than if he had yelled it out. The fact that he remained eerily calm scared her more than anything. There was no telling what he was capable of at the moment, and she knew it had everything to do with her. Frank was usually the rational one, but when someone he loved was threatened, all bets were off.

As soon as she was near him, Frank easily lifted her to her feet and positioned himself in front of her.

Wesley let out a pain filled laugh as he rose to his knees, still clutching his right shoulder. Blood oozed between his fingers, dripping down his hand to soak the white carpet. His cold blue eyes locked onto Nancy's, which she thought either made him really brave or really stupid for taking his eyes off of Frank.

Nancy was going with the latter.

"Do you honestly think he's still going to love you after what you've done with me, Nancy?" Wesley mocked. "Do you really think he still wants to be anywhere near you, knowing that I've touched you where he's touched you?"

"Stop…" Nancy whispered, her eyes darting up to Frank's. "I swear to God, I didn't do anything, Frank. You know I would never…"

"She's a little wildcat in bed, Frank," Wesley said, his smile growing before Frank could say anything. "It's amazing you can keep any control over her. Tell me, do you find yourself having to tie her down as well?"

"You son of a bitch…" Frank said through gritted teeth. His aim remained true on Wesley's chest, never wavering as he took a deliberate step forward. "There isn't one single reason why I shouldn't kill you now."

Wesley ignored him as he looked at Nancy once more. "You can deny it all you want, my love, but you know you enjoyed it just as much as I did—if not more."

All reason vacated the premises as Nancy pushed herself away from Frank and launched herself at Wesley. She wouldn't let him do this to her or to Frank. She wouldn't let him turn Frank against her, not when she needed him now more than ever. Her fingers closed around a crystal candlestick holder and before Frank could stop her, she swung at Wesley's head, hearing a sickening thud as it collided with his skull.

Wesley barely made a sound as he went down, clearly knocked unconscious, but Nancy didn't stop there. Letting out a gut-wrenching scream, she kicked at him repeatedly, ignoring the pain of her bare feet colliding with the hard muscle of his body. She was single-minded in her relentless series of blows—she wanted Wesley dead. She wanted to know she was responsible for him taking in his last breath.

"Nancy!" Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from Wesley's body. Nancy struggled fiercely against the hold, desperate to finish what she started. "Nancy, stop!"

"Let me go!" Nancy screamed. "He needs to die! I want him to die!"

"This isn't you, Nan." Frank tightened his hold on her, pressing her firmly against his body. "Please, don't let me lose you when I just found you. If you do this, you're no better than he is. Please…"

It was as if someone had pulled the plug on her as Frank's words sank in. She didn't want to be like Wesley. Frank was right—if she killed him, she was no better than he was. She sagged in Frank's arms, the fight leaving her body as quickly as it had entered. Once the first sob escaped her lips, she couldn't stop the rest as she sank down to her knees, bringing Frank down with her.

Through it all, Frank retained his strong grip on her, rocking her back and forth as he whispered soothing words in her ear. "It's okay, Nancy. I have you. Everything's going to be okay now."

If only it was that easy for her to believe. Nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

**Sorry that it took me so long for an update. If you only knew how much I wrestled with this chapter. It wasn't that I was stuck—I just kept going back and forth with how I wanted it to end. In the end, I am very happy with how this chapter turned out and I hope you are, too. **

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter: max2013 (I know what I did to Wesley wasn't nearly enough pain for you, but I hope what I did to him made you happy!), Cupcake (Wesley did go down…and I left him alive so you can take your own shots at him!), Caranath (Thank you so much for your kind words—to have that kind of an impact on a reader just flatters me…), Jabba1 (I'm glad you understood my reasoning for Wesley doing that to Nancy again…I was so nervous about that!), SC15 (I couldn't very well leave a spider out of it…even if it scares the hell out of me), misslady92 (Frank definitely does not know how to stay still, especially when it involved either Nancy or Joe), catlover1033 (Calculus and Physics are just plain evil…just sayin'), MinecraftDanny (Thank you so much—I'm sorry that it has to come to an end!), Michelle Gallichio (Anything I can do to make you flee from spiders is a win in my book…they're evil!), AngelvieS (Thank you so much!), q (Glad you like it!), FreshKicks (I couldn't forget about the spiders…anything to creep you guys out!), Miss Pretty Face (I am so happy that you like it! And I am a Frank/Nancy shipper myself), hardydrewsgirl (I try to stay as realistic as I can, so there will be no brushing anything aside…), and VerityD (Thank you so much! I don't mean to drive you crazy with the suspense…).**

**Sadly, there is only one more chapter to go…**

**I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!**


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